Professor Liang, my ex-classmate and the incumbent Vice President of National Taipei University(台北大學), emailed me an unofficial invitation, welcoming me to the activities of celebrating our alma mater's 60th anniversary on October 31. In the invitation and the official website attached, the formal name of the school was abbreviated to Bei Da(北大), just like Taiwan University to Tai Da(台大), Cheng Chi University to Cheng Da(政大), Normal University to Shih Da(師大), and so on. The abbreviation had been quite suitable, hadn't it?  Not exactly.

44 years ago when I was a freshman of Chunghsing University, the
predecessor of Taipei University, I read an intramural article discussing how the university(中興大學) should abbreviate her name properly, Chung Da(中大), or Hsing Da(興大)?  The author argued that Chung Da had been specifically assigned to Chungyang University(中央大學), then not yet restored in Taiwan, so the only abbrevaition the school should adopt is Hsing Da, no other choice. I can still remember the quote "A gentleman should not steal other persons' merit,"(君子不掠人之美). The controversial issue was thus settled, and we had been all graduates from Hsing Da, right?

Everybody knows that Bei Da(北大) has long been accepted as the
abbreviation for Beijing(Peking) University(北京大學).  It is silly to
breach the convention.  I believe the faculty members of Taipei University must have known better.  But why did they decide to go against the conventional wisdom?  There must be a hidden agenda unknown to some of us.  What interests me most is whether the prevailing social mindset driving them to act so brazenly; if it is so, I have to say: Shame on you, Taipei University.

October 2010