1. When National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University was established in 2021 as a nine-campus university, do you know what its official registered address was and how it was decided?
Following the principle of an “equal merger,” NYMU and NCTU merged in 2021 to form National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. To ensure fairness, the official registered address was determined by drawing lots, Guangfu Campus in Hsinchu was selected as the registered address.
2. Why was Yang Ming School called “Yang Ming Medical College” when it was founded?
The name “Yang Ming” was chosen for two reasons. First, the school’s future campus was to be located at the foot of Yangmingshan Mountain. Second, President Chiang Kai-shek was fond of the teachings of Wang Yang-Ming.
3. Who inscribed the phrases “National Yang Ming Medical College” and “National Yang-Ming University”?
The inscription “National Yang Ming Medical College” was inscribed by Zhao Juyu, Minister of the Veterans Affairs Council.
The inscription “National Yang-Ming University” was assembled by Wang Rui, Secretary to the Board of Directors, using characters from Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Parliamentary Law.
Because the character “陽” was not included in the book, it had to be created by combining parts from other characters. The left side (the radical “阝”) was taken from one character, and the right side (“昜”) was taken from the character “湯.” As a result, the final character appears slightly asymmetrical.
4. Was the “Yang Ming Crusade” originally a student club?
In 1978, Professor Pi-Se Chou started the “Yang Ming Crusaders,” a group that conducted public health surveys and educational activities in rural areas, with all costs paid by the participants themselves. This volunteer work continued until 1998, when a participating student was tragically killed in a traffic accident. Following this tragedy, Professor Chou, then serving as the Dean of Student Affairs, made the difficult decision to formalize the group into an official student club.
5. What is the story behind the stone monument bearing the inscription “National Yang-Ming University” in Banyan Park next to the slope of the Medical Building 2?
The stone monument at the base of Banyan Park’s slope was a gift from the Kinmen County Government in appreciation of the Yang Ming Crusaders’ contributions. Carved from granite gneiss, a rock formed over hundreds of millions of years and retrieved from Liaoluo Bay, it was transported to Taiwan by naval vessel.
The inscription “National Yang-Ming University” was created using calligraphy compiled from Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s works held at the Military History Museum. Originally installed at the university’s main entrance, the stone was moved to its current site in 2019.
In addition, at the top of Banyan Park hill stands an intermediate water tower bearing the university motto, “benevolent mind and art, putting knowledge into practice,” alongside the university emblem. In the university’s early years, before the banyans had grown into a grove, the massive structure (12 meters in diameter and 6 meters tall) served as a hillside landmark and remains a cherished memory for many in the Yangming community.
6. Where can the remains of the rock quarry still be seen on the Yangming Campus?
The rock-quarry remnants on the Yangming Campus are mainly distributed across the following eight locations:
- Behind the College of Humanities and Social Sciences
- At the inscription site on the Shen-Nong Slope trail
- Between the Residence Hall F2 and the Medical Building
- Along the wooden railroad tie trail
- At the end of the faculty housing area
- Along the road leading to the mountaintop athletic field
- At the reconstruction site of the hillside swimming pool
- Along the circular mountain road near the campus and Qiyan Mountain
*An interesting fact: Stones from this quarry were transported to various parts of Taiwan via the Baxian Canal. The canal’s former path was located across from where the Library, Information and Research Building stands today.
7. Which campus in Taiwan was the first to require motorcycle riders to wear helmets?
Yang Ming Medical College.
In Taiwan’s early years, helmet use on motorcycles was uncommon, and most staff and students at Yang Ming did not wear helmets.
In 1979, the Ministry of Education surveyed the need for helmets for school staff and faculty, and the Ministry of Transportation later required public officials to wear helmets, but students were not included.
Because of the campus’s steep, winding roads and frequent motorcycle accidents, the college resolved in 1985 that all employees entering or leaving Yang Ming Medical College must wear helmets, with the rule taking effect on October 16, 1985. This was ten years before Taiwan’s nationwide helmet mandate in 1996.
8. Why does every road on Yangming Campus have a name?
On the Yangming Campus, roads are named to honor key figures and to reflect the university’s motto.
“Weide Blvd” lies between the campus entrance and the Bo-Ya Center (formerly Glory Kindergarten). It is named in honor of Paul Han, the first dean of Yang Ming Medical College, and is the only “avenue” on campus.
Other named roads include Zhenzhi Road and Lixing Road, derived from the school motto, as well as Shennongpo Road, University Road, Medical Road, and Yangming Road, which relate to the College of Medicine. Among these, Lixing Road, also known as Huanshan Road, connects the Bo-Ya Center to the 5th Men’s Dormitory, 5th Women’s Dormitory, BEATA Cafeteria, and Zhi Xing Building.
9. How did the jacaranda become Yangming’s school tree?
In April 1993, the Flower Club organized the “Yangming School Tree and Flower Selection.” Members of the Flower Club and the Biology Teaching Assistants selected 16 representative campus plants, and teachers and students then voted for the one most loved by the Yangming community and best reflecting the spirit of Yangming.
After a fierce contest, Jacaranda won with 217 votes and became the Yang Ming school tree. Other selected plants included Acacia, Liquidambar, and Ginkgo.
10. Which three insects cause the “bug crisis” on the Yangming Campus in spring?
Every Yangming student knows about the March–June bug season. The main culprits are the soapberry bug, the lychee stink bug, and termites.
- Soapberry bugs are bright red and can resemble goji berries or fire ants.
- Lychee stink bugs are large and roughly square-bodied. They spray a pungent, skin-irritating liquid and even sneak into dorms to lay eggs.
- Termites fill the night sky in swarms.
It was bad enough that the Student Association once warned everyone on Facebook to keep doors and windows closed. Some students joked, “Extra protein while playing basketball!” and “Dancing with the termites.”
11. Did National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) really have ties to the Ministry of Transportation?
Yes. NCTU’s predecessor was Nanyang College, founded in Shanghai in 1896.
In 1921, Gung-chuo Ye, then Minister of Transportation of the Beiyang Government, argued that “To develop transportation, we must first cultivate professionals.” He therefore merged related schools to establish Chiao Tung University, placing it directly under the Ministry of Transportation. Its mission was to train experts for railways, telecommunications, and other transport-related fields. In its early years, NCTU truly functioned as a national training center for transportation professionals.
12. How did NCTU’s spiritual symbol, the “Yin Shui Si Yuan” monument (literally “remember the source when drinking water”), originate?
It is a heartfelt token of gratitude from NCTU students to their alma mater.
The story goes back to 1930, when a group of graduating seniors at Chiao Tung University, Shanghai Main Campus, wanted to express their appreciation for the education and support they had received.
They built a fountain in the courtyard of the student dormitories, and next to it they erected a monument engraved with the phrase “Yin Shui Si Yuan” (“remember the source when drinking water”), alongside the university’s emblem.
This monument was more than just a gift from graduates. It became the spiritual symbol of NCTU.
Later, as the university expanded to five campuses, each one installed its own monument to carry on the tradition. Today, you can find this meaningful monument on both the Boai and Guangfu campuses.
13. How did the “Meichu Games” begin, and why is it called that?
Believe it or not, it started with a casual conversation and a coin toss, which led to the annual inter-university event between NCTU and NTHU, the Meichu Games.
In a casual chat, students from NCTU and NTHU decided to hold a large-scale competition, modeled after the rowing competitions between Oxford and Cambridge in the UK. The first tournament was held in 1969.
As for the name, first-year students at NTHU knew only the “Dr. Mei Memorial Garden,” built in memory of President Mei Yi Chi (“Mei” means “plum”), while NCTU students were familiar with the “Chu-Ming Building,” named after President Hung-Hsun Ling (“Chu” means “bamboo”). The two sides agreed that “Mei” would represent NTHU and “Chu” would represent NCTU.
Finally, a coin toss decided that the event would be called the Meichu Games. Since then, it has become the most iconic competition between the two universities.
14. Why are the mascots of the Meichu Games a panda and a fox?
In 2009, the president of NCTU’s Meichu Supporters’ Association was inspired by a pun on NCTU’s Bamboo Lake (“Zhu Hu”), where “hu” sounds like “fox” in Chinese. At NTHU, “Qing Hua” echoes “frog,” and since foxes eat frogs, NCTU chose the clever, agile “Bamboo Fox” as its mascot.
Because bamboo represents NCTU, NTHU chose the panda, an animal that loves eating bamboo, as its mascot and named it “Panda Bear.”
15. Did you know that NCTU once had an “Abnormal Club”?
This group of “abnormal” final-year students became legendary, they changed the course of Taiwan’s tech industry.
Back in the 1960s, it was common for most science and engineering students to go abroad immediately after graduation. But eight passionate NCTU alumni chose to stay and contribute their expertise to Taiwan.
They joked, “Since everyone else is leaving, and we’re the only ones staying, that must be abnormal, right?” And so, the “Abnormal Club” (ABC) was born!
These eight tech pioneers—Long-Ing Chen, Ding-Hwa Hu, Andrew Chew, Ching-Chun Hsieh, Gordon Jau-yann Jiang, Chao-Wu Lin, Sameul Wang, and Tseng-Hsing Chen—dedicated more than a decade to laying the groundwork for Taiwan’s future as a technology hub.
Sometimes, changing the world really does take a bit of “abnormal” courage.
16. Is it true there were no handsome guys at NCTU?
In 1999, a catchy song, “NCTU Has No Handsome Guys,” became a campus-wide hit.
The song was written by Shen Peng, a student in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and a member of the band “Isolation Cream.” She expressed her feelings about studying at a school where male students far outnumbered female students—yet no one pursued her.
In response, Ching-Teng Ko from the Department of Management Science (who later became known as the writer Giddens Ko) released his own song, “NCTU Has Dinosaurs.” To put an end to this “handsomeness crisis,” the NCTU Student Union even organized a “Handsome Guy Contest” to prove once and for all that NCTU did, in fact, have good-looking students.
17. Where is the secret bald cypress spot on Guangfu Campus?
It’s right by the detention pond on the west side of Guangfu Campus, where 60 bald cypress trees stand guard.
In 2018, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of NCTU’s founding in Taiwan, the NCTU Alumni Association planted exactly 60 bald cypress trees around the detention pond on the west side as a commemorative gift to their alma mater.
Green in spring, shady in summer, red in autumn, and bare in winter—the bald-cypress trees transform with the seasons, quietly becoming a hidden yet breathtaking “photo spot” on campus.
18. Did the first “Shine Mood Waffle” in Taiwan open at NCTU?
Yes — the popular waffle shop you’ve probably queued for, “Shine Mood Waffle,” first opened at NCTU.
The founder, Kelly, originally ran a beverage stall at Dining Hall 2 on NCTU’s Guangfu Campus. Noticing that no one was selling snacks, she decided to add waffles to the menu. In 2006, to improve the shop’s atmosphere, she began selling waffles and drinks from a small wooden hut in front of the Information Technology Service Center. It was an instant hit. As a result, the very first “Shine Mood Waffle” was born at NCTU—its delicious aroma spreading from this campus to campuses across Taiwan, becoming part of students’ sweetest memories.
19. Why is grass jelly drink the NCTU Earth God’s favorite offering?
According to legend, a student once dreamed that an old man asked him to bring something sweet as an offering to the NCTU Earth God before his entrance exam.
He bought a few cans of grass jelly drink from a nearby shop and placed them at the temple. He was later admitted to NCTU, just as he had hoped. The story spread quickly, and more and more students began offering grass jelly drink when praying for exam success. Over time, grass jelly drink became the Earth God’s “signature beverage,” symbolizing sweet fortune and wishes fulfilled.
20. Is there a Qing Dynasty tomb on Guangfu Campus?
Yes, it’s true. On Guangfu Campus stands the Lu family tomb, built in 1866 during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1988, as the campus expanded toward the Science Park, most nearby graves were relocated. However, the Lu family insisted on keeping their ancestral tomb, so it remained on campus. Nestled in a small hollow, it’s so inconspicuous that most students and faculty walk past it on their way to the dining hall without noticing. This tomb not only bears witness to the expansion of Guangfu Campus, but also reminds us that history truly lies beneath our feet.