On May 29,2021,a documentary film called One Day When We Were Younginvited 16 alumni(校友)—all famous scholars—(share) their stories about the National Southwest Associated University. It (bear) when Japan invaded northern China in 1937. To save their educational and intellectual heritage the Japanese invasion, the remaining students and faculty at Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University first retreated to Changsha in Hunan Province, and (late) headed south toward Kunming in Yunnan Province. The three universities joined together as the National Southwest Associated University, was also known as Xinan Lianda in Chinese.
Xinan Lianda had 5 colleges and 26 departments, with 179 professors. Students there could have a higher education (base) in large part on the American model. It sought to provide general education and (academy) freedom.
Though Xinan Lianda is (physical) gone and each school moved back to its original home in 1946, the experience of studying there had everlasting impact on students.
"The National Southwest Associated University set a good example for contemporary Chinese universities, and there are many treasured (legacy) for us to inherit, to cherish, and to share," Li Zhong, vice-president of the university's Beijing alumni association, told the Global Times.
