GUIYANG, China, November 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — During the World Anti-Fascist War, many Chinese universities moved to Guizhou. Institutions such as Zhejiang University, Daxia University, Xiangya Medical School and dozens of others have continued their teaching and research sheltered from The steep mountains of Guizhou. They maintained a regular academic life and trained a generation of talents. Meanwhile, their teachers and students joined local efforts to support the resistance. The westward movement of these universities allowed Chinese higher education to persist during the war period, allowing the academic tradition to advance.
Invited by the International Communication Center of Guizhou Radio and Television Station, José Luis Fonseca Conejo from Costa Rica and Gharibmamadova Sabzon from Tajikistan, both students of Zhejiang University, traveled to Guizhou to learn the history of their alma mater during the war. Guided by classmate Zheng Xiangyi, another ZJU student from Guizhou, they head to Meitan County to visit the old campus that housed Zhejiang University during the war. There they learn about the difficulties the university overcame on its long journey west and how Meitan protected and supported it for seven years. In this quiet southwestern town, they realize how simple human kindness has helped keep the flame of knowledge alive and provided teachers and students with a safe place to study, teach and serve the nation.
Their journey continued to Fuquan County, where they explored the wartime relocation of the Tangshan College of Engineering from “National Chiao Tung University”, the alma mater of ZJU President Zhu Kezhen as well as the predecessor of today’s Southwest Jiaotong University, as well as the history of the relocation of the Institute of Railway Management from Beiping to Guizhou. They also learned about the stories of Mao Yisheng and his contributions during the War of Resistance, which gave them a better understanding of how the universities that moved to Guizhou carried on the legacy of Chinese higher education in an era of upheaval.
Throughout this journey, Fonseca and Sabzon witness the resilience with which Zhejiang University professors and students acquired their knowledge amid the flames of war, and they experience the generosity of the people of Guizhou. Above all, they feel China’s respect for education, its commitment to preserving culture and its belief in the values shared by all humanity. At the end of the trip, Fonseca reflected: “I was able to see the knowledge preserved during the war now shine brightly for the future of this land.”
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/PbVKhmdXu70
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SOURCE International Communication Center of Guizhou Radio and Television Station
