HSINCHU, April 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan has recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the redevelopment of the Yuehan Hall in Taipei. The new building will become the future home of NTHU's Taipei School of Economics and Political Science (TSE) and will provide an additional resource for the entire University.

The front section of the Hall has historical significance and will be completely renovated according to the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act. The rear section will be demolished and be replaced with a new building consisting of 12 floors above ground and 3 floors underground. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

NTHU president W. John Kao said that the Yuehan Hall is of great importance to NTHU since it served as the University's preparatory office in the 1950s, adding, "This is where NTHU began to lay down roots in Taiwan, and it will soon become another NTHU's starting point into the future."

The chairman of TSE, Huang-Hsiung Huang, said that TSE's mission is to train leaders in international political economy with a focus on Asia, to meet the challenges of the future, and to fully participate in shaping the world's future development. The TSE will have a decisive head start in fulfilling this mission by having a teaching and research base in Taipei City.

Huang added that the International Conference Room at the TSE will be equipped with the latest AI equipment, which will provide a seamless audiovisual connection to its classrooms at NTHU and also facilitate online conferences, forums, and seminars in international politics, economics, and geopolitics with first-class academic institutions around the world.

Former NTHU president Hocheng Hong said that the TSE was made possible by the largest donation to the social sciences ever made in the history of Taiwan, which brought hope to the country's many institutions of higher education struggling with budgetary shortfalls. Indeed, this same funding model has been adopted by many of the semiconductor research institutes established at various universities in recent years. 

The restoration of Yuehan Hall and the construction of the new TSE building behind it will be carried out according to the highest standards, at a projected cost of about NT$930 million. Major funding will be provided by the TSE Foundation, which, upon completion of the project, will donate the buildings to NTHU.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Yung-Hsien Wu said that the Center for Continuing Education is planning to use the TSE building for both its master's degree program in Regulatory Affairs for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices and a credit-bearing class in finance. In addition, the Center's program in Chinese as a Second Language plans to use the TSE building to hold Chinese classes for foreign students and teacher training.

Yuehan Hall is located at the intersection of Jinshan South Road and Jinhua Street in Taipei City. When NTHU's founding president, Mei Yi-Qi (whose courtesy name was Yuehan), died in 1962, alumni began raising funds to build a memorial hall in his honor.

Media contact:
Holly Hsueh
NTHU
(886)3-5162006
hoyu@mx.nthu.edu.tw 

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SOURCE National Tsing Hua University