A few notes about Tseng Yueh-nung

Tseng Yueh-nung (photo from the Tunghai University website)

Tseng Yueh-nung's English name was Beauson Tseng. He was a great-grandson of Zeng Guofan (曾國藩), best known for his role in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion. Tseng was born in 1893 in Hunan Province.

Tseng studied mining at London University (graduating in 1916) and at the Royal School of Mines. He returned to China and, with his cousin Zeng Baosun (曾寶蓀), established the Yifang School for Girls in Changsha.

He came to Taiwan by way of Hong Kong after escaping from mainland China in 1949. At first he taught English literature at National Taiwan University, then he came to Taichung to become the first president of Tunghai University in 1955. He retired from Tungahi in 1957, going on to take roles in government and education.

I'll add more to this as I have time. Here is some information on Tseng (from which much of the above was taken) can be found here (in Chinese).

Tseng seems in some ways to be a symbol of Tunghai. The main road into Tunghai is named "Beauson Road" (or 約農路). A bust of Tseng is situated in the entrance to the university's library. Tseng seems to be a locus of public memory about Tunghai, particularly in the way that the university has traditionally been viewed as a place where Chinese and Western cultures mix.