A Passion for Wartime Liberalism

In human history, wars are usually associated with autocracy, repression, martial law, and the like. The establishment of an institution of higher education embracing freedom and liberty during a devastating war, on the other hand, is nothing less than extraordinary. Xi'nan lianhe daxue or Lianda, a university established in the rear during China's war of resistance against Japan (1937-45) was precisely such an institution. As a university formed to cope with the wartime situation, Lianda was meant to be provisional, but it turned out that its legacy has been profound and enduring. To this day, the academic freedom, cultural diversity, and faculty governance that prevailed at Lianda during its eight years are still the stuff of which many Chinese intellectuals dream

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