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Soochow University (1900–1952)

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Soochow University refers to two distinct universities: one located in Suzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China, and the other in Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China). Though both universities share the same English name, they are named differently in Chinese. The original Soochow University and the university currently in Taiwan are named Dongwu Daxue (東吳大學), after the general region in which Suzhou is located. The university in the PRC is named Suzhou Daxue (苏州大学) after the city of Suzhou.

Institutions

From 1900 to 1952, Soochow University (simplified Chinese: 东吴大学; traditional Chinese: 東吳大學; pinyin: Dōngwú Dàxué) operated in Suzhou.

The following universities currently operate with the name Soochow University (Chinese language names and years of operation in brackets):

History

The original Soochow University was founded by Young John Allen and other Methodists in Suzhou (then spelled as Soochow) in 1900 as a merger of three existing institutions: the Po-hsi Academy, the Kung-hsiang Academy, and the Chung-hsi Academy.

The university was split in 1949 as a result of the Chinese Civil War. The Soochow University on the mainland merged with the Southern Jiangsu College of Culture and Education and the Department of Mathematics and Physics at Jiangnan University to form the Jiangsu Teacher's College in 1952. The English name Soochow University was revived on the mainland in 1982, when the Jiangsu Teacher's College merged with the Suzhou College of Sericulture, the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology, and the Suzhou Medical College. However, the original Chinese name Dongwu 東吳 was not adopted and the new institution was given the name Suzhou 苏州.

After fleeing to Taiwan in 1949, members of the Soochow Alumni Association reestablished the Soochow University, starting with its College of Law in 1951 and becoming a full-fledged university with five schools in 1971. The university in Taiwan, claiming historical continuity with the university on the mainland (pre-1949), thus uses the Dongwu name.

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