Remembering Youren Yu 淡江大小事

News and Events

Remembering Youren Yu

Date 2014-11-20 7146 Clicks

Yi-ting Li

All of the guests at Tamkang University enjoy the scenic beauties that the campus has to offer. Whether its the unique Chinese Palace-style hallways, the blossoming of the Rhododendron or the jade greenery alongside the Shepherd’s Bridge, there is so much artwork to be appreciated. TKU’s incorporation of both man-made and natural artwork always leaves visitors with a memorable and lasting experience. The campus has inspired other artists such TKU Alumni and singer, Shuang-ze Li, who wrote the popular song, “Sing your own song.” What most people may not know is that Shuang-ze Li as many other artists and artwork, was inspired by the late great Youren Yu.

Youren Yu is well known in the Asian world of art as the calligrapher that created the standard of cursive calligraphy, passing along the secrets of Chinese heritage. 52 years ago when TKU was still building its basic foundations, Youren Yu made an inscription of TKU’s educational motto: Simplicity, Truthfulness, Firmness and Perseverance. In order to show thanks for his support, TKU created a memorial wall for Youren Yu in 1962 and continues to honor his teachings today. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his passing, which is being celebrated with the Yat-sen Sun and Youren Yu Academic Forum.

The Shepherd’s bridge, behind the Student Activity Center was named after Youren Yu. When he was younger he had a very difficult childhood as a the son of a shepherd. This eventually led to his famous nickname, Shepherd’s Son. In 1977 TKU held a musical performance that singer, Shuang-ze Li, made his musical debut. The Shepherd’s Bridge, just as all of the artwork at TKU has a story to go with the memorial. The conference had over 200 participants, including special guests from Japan and Korea. Youren Yu’s son Yu-zhong also flew from America to attend the celebration. 99 calligraphy artists were invited to display and discuss their work. The guests were able to appreciate traditional art, stimulating new ideas for future generations.

SDGs