Former Kuomintang (KMT) party chairman Ma Ying-jeou led a group of Taiwanese youths in a dialogue session with students from the Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) on Wednesday (April 3rd), highlighting the existence of "a Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan."

(Photo: SYSU WeChat account) 

Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan shares the same name, motto, and anniversary as its counterpart in Guangzhou. The roots of the two universities trace back to a shared history.

In 1979, an academic delegation from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou visited the United States, prompting many alumni in Taiwan to propose the establishment of a Sun Yat-sen University there to meet the island's needs for higher education.

In 1980, Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung was officially established through the efforts of alumni from the Guangzhou-based institution, with November 12, the birthday of Sun Yat-sen, as its anniversary.

Over the decades, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou has admitted numerous Taiwan students, with many also participating in exchange programs or pursuing postgraduate studies in Taiwan.

Particularly in the last decade, the university has enrolled nearly a thousand Taiwanese students, primarily in medicine, management, and computer science. 

Source: GDTV Net