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Lianda: A Chinese University in War and Revolution. By JOHN ISRAEL. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1998. xv, 459 pp. $60.00.
When the war with Japan began in 1937, universities in the occupied areas of China moved inland. In order to coordinate and maintain the educational system, the Ministry of Education created two temporary amalgamated universities, Xinan Lianda composed of Beida, Qinghua, and Nankai, and Xibei Lianda composed of several north China academies. Originally located in Changsha, Xinan Lianda (or Lianda) relocated to Kunming in Yunnan Province in early 1938. There, the three universities merged their academic units to form four colleges.
Officially opened on December 1, 1938, Lianda faced serious obstacles from the outset. In addition to the monumental problem of running a university without proper facilities or resources, there was also the clash of cultures between the urbanized intellectuals and the provincial Yunnanese; friction between officials at Lianda and in Chongqing over academic freedom; and tension between Beida, Qinghua, and junior partner, Nankai. Despite the impediments, students and faculty pursued their studies and research in a variety of creative and resourceful ways. The already difficult circumstances worsened in 1940 when the Japanese cut off major routes to the outside world and wartime inflation began...