National Sun Yat-Sen University

National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) is one of the few universities in the world to feature its very own on-campus beach. Built in the coastal city of Kaohsiung which boasts almost year-round sunshine, the campus is bordered to the east by the slopes of the beautifully-named Longevity mountain and to the west by the sandy beach, clear blue water and coral reefs of Sizi Bay and beyond that the Strait of Taiwan.

An underground tunnel dug in 1933 provides handy access under the mountain to downtown Kaohsiung.

National Sun Yat-sen University was built in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung in 1980. The original Sun Yat-sen university was founded in Canton (modern-day Guangzhou) in 1923 by Dr Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China and the university followed the republic’s leaders when the government moved to Taipei in 1949.

NSYSU has six colleges and several research institutes. Its coastal location has made NSYSU a leader in marine studies and it is also well known for its expertise in business management and political science.

There are strong ties between university staff and government officials and these connections, combined with the focus on research at the university mean NSYSU plays an important role in Taiwan as a government think tank. A large number of bachelors and masters degrees are on offer to students as well as an extensive doctorate programme.

There is also a strong focus on foreign connections at the university. The American Centre, European Centre and Centre for Japanese Studies are the only research institutes of their kind in the country.