The 11th SJU Alumni Party is held at the East China University of Political Science and Law.
More than 400 alumni from St. John's University (SJU) took part in the 11th SJU Alumni Party on October 17 at the Changning campus of East China University of Political Science and Law, the former location of Saint John's University.
The Alumni recalled their days at the university and the teachers and friends they made so long ago. East China Normal University (ECNU) is one of the successor institutions of Saint John's University. Several leaders of ECNU attended the party, including Tong Shijun, the University Council Chairman of ECNU; Guo Weilu, Vice President of ECNU and executive Vice President of ECNU Alumni Association; Xing Hexiang, director of the Office of Liaison of ECNU and secretary general of ECNU Alumni Association; Tang Tao, curator of ECNU Archive; Zhu Xiaoyi, research fellow of ECNU Archive.
The alumni visit the University History Museum.
People who addressed the party included Gao Shangquan, former president of the China Society of Economic Reform, Chairman of the SJU Alumni Association and President of Beijing SJU Alumni Association; Cao Wenze, Chairman of the University Council of East China University of Political Science and Law and an alumnus of ECNU; ECNU University Council Chairman Tong Shijun; Chen Jinlian, Pesident of St. John's University in Taiwan. Yu Quanyi, President of St. John's College UBC; Chen Gui, Vice President of Shanghai Jiaotong University Medical School. Fudan University, Tongji University, and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics sent representatives to the party.
ECNU leaders Tong Shijun, Chen Qun and Guo Weilu visit SJU alumni.
On the afternoon of October 17, more than 40 SJU alumni from Shanghai, Beijing, Canada, and Australia came to ECNU and visited the University History Museum, Liwa River, and Qunxian Hall, before holding a meeting at the Yifu Building. During the meeting the alumni recalled their life at the campus half a century ago and their relations with SJU.
On the night of October 17, ECNU leaders Tong Shijun, Chen Qun and Guo Weilu visited SJU alumni from Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Fujian, New York, South Carolina, and North Carolina at their hotel rooms. They discussed the construction of Shenjiang Academy and the preparation for the 12th Alumni party.
SJU World Alumni Party is held every two years. SJU was an Anglican university in Shanghai. Founded in 1879 by American missionaries, it was one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China, often regarded as the Harvard of China. It has cultivated many famous scholars, including Bu Fangji, Yan Huiqing, Gu Weijun, Tao Xingzhi, Lin Yutang, Bei Jinming, Zou Taofen, Rong Yiren. It was a legend in China’s education history.
The newly published St. John's University and East China Normal University is sent to the alumni as a gift.
The participants of the Alumni Party pose for a group photo.
In 1952, the university was closed and its school of sciences (departments of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology), department of education and department of Chinese language were merged into ECNU’s curriculum. More than 110,000 books, a batch of biological specimen and furniture were also given to ECNU. Thirty-eight teachers and 128 students joined ECNU at the time of the merge.
Kwang Hua University, which was also one of the predecessor institutions of ECNU, was established by 572 teachers and students who left SJU in 1925. Several ECNU founders were SJU alumni: Meng Xiancheng, the first president of ECNU; Zhang Zupei, member of the ECNU founding committee; Wu Bangwei, the first physics department; ECNU historian Chen Xulu.
