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Soochow University Wikipedia

Soochow University refers to two separate institutions for higher learning: 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 Soochow University currently on Taiwan are named 東吳大學 after the general region in which Suzhou is located. The university on the mainland is named 苏州大学 after the city of Suzhou.

The original Soochow University was founded by Methodists in Suzhou 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 China|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 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 東吳 was not adopted and the new institution was given the name 苏州.

Meanwhile, another Soochow University was established (or officially styled "reactivated") in Taiwan by the Soochow Alumni Association, starting with its College of Law in 1951 and becoming a full-fledged university with five schools in 1971.

For more information about each university, choose the following links:

• Soochow University (Taiwan)

• Soochow University (Jiangsu)

Last Modified:   2005-04-13