Christian universities in China—St. John's University, often called the "Harvard of the East," the Fu Jen Catholic University of Beijing, and Ginling University, to name a few of the most famous—were the forerunners of many schools in the country.
When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, several leading Christian universities moved inland and merged to form the National Southwestern Associated University in Huaxiba, Chengdu. In Wind Blowing Across Huaxiba: The History of Five Christian Universities in Wartime, the author gives an in-depth account of the prominence and splendor of this very last Christian university.
It was the place Huaxiba where the five leading Christian universities in China—Yenching University, Ginling University, Ginling Girls College, Cheeloo University, and West China Union University—all gathered during the Anti-Japanese War.
The book describes in detail how the five universities that moved to Huaxiba during the War of Resistance struggled to run the newly established university while fighting the invaders by educating the masses, and how they persevered in educating the young and passing on cultural heritage. The book also systematically examines the history of China's Christian universities, presenting the schools' achievements in journalism, medicine, agriculture, women's education, and cultural exchange between China and the West.
The politician and diplomat Song Ziwen, a Ginling University alumnus, once stated: "Too few people are aware of the significant role that Christian universities have played in China's modernization, and Ginling University should be one of these schools." Hu Shi, former president of Peking University, also sighed: "If the national universities did not strive for academic excellence, the Christian universities would most likely have taken their place."
For this reason, this book is highly praised for focusing on the history of the last Christian university in Huaxiba: "Without this period, China might have slackened its integration into modern civilization; without these teachers, China would have lost a pool of high-quality talent.
The author of this book, Dai Jun, is the former deputy editor-in-chief of Sichuan CPPCC Newspaper. Specializing in the academic history, cultural history, and local research history of Republican China, Dai published Discovering Lizhuang in 2004, an academic history essay selected as a required reading for graduate students in sociology by the Institute of History and Culture at Tainan University.
- Translated by Joyce Leung
在中国，也有不少学校的前身是教会大学，其中最出名的几所教会大学包括“东方哈佛”圣约翰大学、北平辅仁大学、金陵大学等。
抗日战争时期，几所著名的教会大学纷纷往内地迁移，并在成都华西坝上组成了另一个“西南联大”。而《风过华西坝：战时教会五大学纪》一书中，就再现了最后教会大学的风流与辉煌。
抗战时期，华西坝汇集了全国最好的五所教会大学，包括燕京大学、金陵大学、金陵女子文理学院、齐鲁大学以及华西协合大学。
《风过华西坝：战时教会五大学纪》全景式地还原了抗日战争时期内迁坝上的这五所基督教大学的艰苦办学、学术抗战的空前盛况，以及传薪播火、延续民族文脉的精神坚守。并系统打捞了中国教会大学的历史，展现了新闻学、医学、农学、女子教育及中西文化交流的成就。
曾就读于金陵大学的政治家、外交家宋子文说过：“了解教会大学在中国现代化事业中发挥的重要作用的人太少了，金陵大学应属这些最前列的学校之一。”曾经出人北京大学校长的胡适先生也感慨道：“假如国立大学不努力，在学术上没有成就，很可能是几个教会大学取而代之。”
因此，本书也因着重描写华西坝上最后的教会大学历史而被高度评价，“缺失这也历史，中国融入现代文明的进程或会放缓；缺失这批先生，中国会减损一个高素质的人才方阵。”
本书的作者是岱峻，原四川政协报的副总编辑，擅长民国学术史、文化史、地方研究史。2004年曾出版过一本学术史随笔《发现李庄》一书，该书被台南大学历史文化研究所选为社会学研究生的指定读物。
好书推荐 | 再现最后教会大学的风流与辉煌：《风过华西坝：战时教会五大学纪》
Christian universities in China—St. John's University, often called the "Harvard of the East," the Fu Jen Catholic University of Beijing, and Ginling University, to name a few of the most famous—were the forerunners of many schools in the country.
When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, several leading Christian universities moved inland and merged to form the National Southwestern Associated University in Huaxiba, Chengdu. In Wind Blowing Across Huaxiba: The History of Five Christian Universities in Wartime, the author gives an in-depth account of the prominence and splendor of this very last Christian university.
It was the place Huaxiba where the five leading Christian universities in China—Yenching University, Ginling University, Ginling Girls College, Cheeloo University, and West China Union University—all gathered during the Anti-Japanese War.
The book describes in detail how the five universities that moved to Huaxiba during the War of Resistance struggled to run the newly established university while fighting the invaders by educating the masses, and how they persevered in educating the young and passing on cultural heritage. The book also systematically examines the history of China's Christian universities, presenting the schools' achievements in journalism, medicine, agriculture, women's education, and cultural exchange between China and the West.
The politician and diplomat Song Ziwen, a Ginling University alumnus, once stated: "Too few people are aware of the significant role that Christian universities have played in China's modernization, and Ginling University should be one of these schools." Hu Shi, former president of Peking University, also sighed: "If the national universities did not strive for academic excellence, the Christian universities would most likely have taken their place."
For this reason, this book is highly praised for focusing on the history of the last Christian university in Huaxiba: "Without this period, China might have slackened its integration into modern civilization; without these teachers, China would have lost a pool of high-quality talent.
The author of this book, Dai Jun, is the former deputy editor-in-chief of Sichuan CPPCC Newspaper. Specializing in the academic history, cultural history, and local research history of Republican China, Dai published Discovering Lizhuang in 2004, an academic history essay selected as a required reading for graduate students in sociology by the Institute of History and Culture at Tainan University.
- Translated by Joyce Leung
Book Recommendation: 'Wind Blowing Across Huaxiba: The History of Five Christian Universities in Wartime'
