Talk:University of Nanking

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I have a question: Was University of Nanking a Chinese university? This article indicates: After merging Oriental University of Medicine in 1913, it(University of Nanking) became the first university in China to provide doctoral education. But the article Nanjing University also claims Nanjing University to be the first Chinese university to provide doctoral education. I see it means it began to offer doctoral education in 1927 and grant doctoral degree in 1932 when its name was National Central University. What's the difference beteen Chinese university and university in China. Does this mean that universties in China founded by foreigners like University of Nanking were not Chinese universties? I don't think Americans take them as American university. Another questions is, is the program of Doctor of Medicine a doctoral education? Besides, the program at UN was discontinued in 1917, so it didn't grant anyone doctor's degree. --Wikinu 14:07, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

I take the Christian university as a mixer of Chinese one and American one. As you may know, although many of the faculties (and even most in the early period) came from foreign countries(mainly from United States), very few students were foreigners. Although the campus were designed by American and even much of material of campus buildings was imported from the United States, the style was traditional Chinese style. Although the courses were mostly taken in English, it educated people mostly serving China. Just another example, Ginling Women's University/金陵女子大学, in the past people could see the name on the gate of the university was Ginling Women's University of Great USA/大美国金陵女子大学, but when Japan invaded China and occupied Nanjing in 1937, Ginling Women's University moved to inland of Sichuan following China's central government (USA was a neutral in 1937). Strictly speaking, there is a difference between university in China and Chinese university. As for the American style educational program - Medical Doctor, I think it can be taken as a kind of doctoral education as the name indicates(although not very academic). The program of the University of Nanking was designed to be 7 years:, 2 years pre-study, and then five years, the time is long enough. Since the program was discontinued and not fulfilled, it may not worthy of being noted. -Dictioner 15:38, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

The definition of a same word may differ from one person/region... to another. For example, Nanking University is the first school officially named University (in English) in China, then could you say it's the first university in China? I know in the ancient history of Nanjing University, it became the world's first institution combining education and research in 470 AD(Nanchao dynasty), when it's Imperial Nanjing University named 總明觀 in Chinese. Several fields including literature and history firstly became independent subjects in the school in Nanchao dynasty. Many famous scholars and scientists including Zu Chongzhi were faculty members. Then could you say it's not a university at the time? -Dictioner 16:12, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Altough Nanking University called itself a university since 1888, it did not grant bachelor's degree until 1910. And the degree sytem actually come from America(Europe the earliest). Ancient Chinese had a different system. -Dictioner 16:39, 12 July 2006 (UTC)