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This is a very good documentary of characters and a rare and precious historical material. The author has a unique perspective. He chose old alumni of Southwest Associated University who were still alive in Shanghai at the time of the interview. By listening to these elderly witnesses narrate their life experiences and true feelings about history, the author reproduces the people and events of Southwest Associated University at that time, as well as the changes of the times, from different aspects. This book enriches the existing historical materials about Southwest Associated University and constitutes an indispensable document in this research field. It also inherits the excellent national spirit of patriotism, struggle, and dedication to learning through many historical details.

The legendary Southwest Associated University has trained 2 Nobel Prize winners, 8 winners of the "Two Bombs and One Satellite" merit medals, more than 100 humanities masters, and more than 170 academicians. Starting in 2014, the author of this book, the famous journalist Ding Yuanyuan, used an almost detective method to find 20 living alumni through news reports, historical archives, alumni records of the United Nations University, etc., And conducted rescue interviews. Zhao Zhongxing, a participant in the development of the first atomic bomb and a graduate of the Department of Chemical Engineering of the United Nations University; Chen Zhijing, a key member of Chiang Ching-kuo's iron-blooded salvation of the Congress and a graduate of the Department of Politics of the United Nations University... The large number of classroom details they personally told allowed the author to touch the essence of the elite education of the United Nations University: general education, workshop-style teaching, debureaucratization, etc., And preserved a precious reference for contemporary higher education. In the process of interviewing and writing this book, these last batch of Lianda University students are still passing away. This makes this book almost the last precious document that preserves the details of education at the General Assembly in the form of collective oral accounts from those who have experienced it. It also adds a lot of fresh historical materials on the Anti-Japanese War and the Civil War between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.