History of NTU: The story of Nantah

The Beginning...

After World War II
The Chinese found it difficult to attend higher education in the Nanyang area as there was no Chinese language institution for higher education or learning outside China at that time and thus they had a wish of starting up a university in Singapore, a university that can provide tertiary education in Chinese in the region.

1953
So when Mr Tan Lark Sye proposed the founding of a Chinese language university , his vision was received with great enthusiasm by the Chinese communities in Singapore, Malaya and other parts of Southeast Asia.

March 1953
The Hokkien Huay Kuan, under Mr Tan's leadership, donated 523 acres of land for the university. Mr Tan himself donated $5 million. His call for the establishment of the Chinese university received enthusiastic support from Chinese communities all over Southeast Asia. Generous donations in cash and kind came from Chinese from all walks of life, from rich tycoons to poor hawkers and peddlers contributed to the cost of the university.

This university was named Nayang University (南洋大学), abbreviated Nantah, (南大).

Side note:
"Nanyang" in Chinese means "south of the ocean" or "south seas", a reference for the Southeast Asian region.

1955
A pre-university class was started to prepare students for entry into the new university.

15 March 1956
The first batch of 584 students was admitted in. There were three faculties: Arts, Science and Commerce.

1958
Two years later, the construction of the university was completed.

30 March 1958
Tan Lark Sye, together with Sir William Goode, Singapore's first Head of State, officially opened the Nanyang University. Dr Lin Yu-Tang was its first chancellor.

The end of Nantah...
Although Nantah was able to establish itself rapidly as an institution offering quality education, it has only a brief 25 year history.

August 1980
Following a proposal by Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister then, Nanyang University merged with the University of Singapore to form the National University of Singapore (NUS). The old Nantah campus was renamed Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI).

1 July 1991
Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI) was reconstituted to form the current Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
NIE was established as an institute of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

Last Notes:
Although it had only a 25 year history, the university was a beacon for the Chinese language education and culture in Southeast Asia. The university and the values it inculcated in a generation of students embodied what is known as The Nantah Spirit. Nantah is widely regarded as a unique chapter in the annals of Chinese Overseas experience.

Extra:
Read more about the Nanyang University (see its logo at the website below) @
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanyang_University

Read more about Tan Lark Sye @
1. http://www.huayinet.org/biography/biography_tanlarksye.htm
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Lark_Sye

Here's is a website from Toronto dedicated to the memory of Nantah (below)
http://www.nandazhan.com/index.htm (in Chinese)

Read more about the history of NIE @
http://www.nie.edu.sg/nieweb/about/loadMain.do?id=General%20Info&pid=4325388

Check out some old photos of Nantah @
http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/2007/10/nantah-as-she-was-37-years-ago.html

Tips for Guiding:
Use the photos found in the Nantah pictorial exhibition room (level2 in the Chinese Cultural Center) as additional visual materials as you share the history of NTU.