Yenching University

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Yenching University was a notable university in Peking (present-day Beijing) in China. It integrated three Christian universities in the city in 1919. Yenching (Chinese: 燕京; pinyin: Yànjīng) is an alternative name of Peking - derived from its status as capital of Yan state, one of the seven Warring States from 5th Century BC to 3rd Century BC.

• (滙文大學) was founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church (美以美會) in 1889. Her precursor was (崇內懷理書院) founded in 1870. Hiram Harrison Lowry was its principal.
• (華北協和女子大學). Its precursor (貝滿女塾) was founded in 1864
• (通州協和大學). Its precursor (公理會潞河書院) was founded by Congregational. Davelle Sheffield was the school's principal.

John Leighton Stuart was appointed as the principal of the university in January 1919 when he taught Greek language in Nanking Theological Seminary (金陵神學院), a seminary in Nanking (present-day Nanjing) in China. In short of capital at the beginning, he ran for fund raising worldwide and get handsome of funds from Charles Martin Hall and an American publisher. He bought royal gardens of Qing to build a scenic campus. In 1926 the campus was completed. Theology, Law and Medical were the main schools in the university, with Arts and Science studies.

He hired many famous scholars in China. In 1928 a society, Harvard-Yenching Institute, was joinly founded by Yenching University and Harvard University for the education of humanity and social science in East Asia and Southeast Asia. By 1930 the school was among the top universities in China. During Second Sino-Japanese War in World War II, Peking was occupied by Japan and the university was moved to Chengdu in Sichuan.

After the socialist People's Republic of China was established in 1949, Yenching University with Christian background was merged into Peking University. In 1952 Peking University moved from central Beijing to the Yenching campus.

[edit] Yenching College

After the incorporation of Yenching University to Peking University, some of its alumni and staff founded Yenching College in Hong Kong. At the time they hoped that the school will revive the university in the future.