1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 535 Nanyang Technological University!

"Ayang, do you want the Nanyang University site? Or do you want Nanyang University?"

The smile on Li Guangyao's face disappeared at this moment, and he asked Li Changhe with a stern expression.

Li Changhe didn't care about it, because he knew that his words basically touched Li Guangyao's sore spot.

Without him!

Just because, Nanyang University was destroyed by Lee Kuan Yew through the power of the government!
The reason why Lee Kuan Yew destroyed Nanyang University was very simple, it just stemmed from two words: internal strife!
From the 1950s to the 1970s, that is, the early and middle stages of the Cold War, a main theme running through Southeast Asia was the left-right struggle, which was actually a struggle of ideologies between capitalism and socialism.

During this period, there were also elements such as racial conflicts. For example, the anti-H concept in Southeast Asia actually originated from anti-G. At that time, we were the largest socialist country besides the Soviet Union, and the Chinese in Southeast Asia generally had better economic conditions.

Therefore, in Southeast Asia, the Communist Party and China have gradually combined into a symbol, and the two have become one. The right-wingers have carried out both integrity and economic plunder at the same time, which has become a common tactic used by many people in power.

Although Lee Kuan Yao is also of Chinese descent, he is an out-and-out right-wing politician who supports capitalism and the Anglo-American system.

At that time, the bigwig who recommended Lee Kuan Yew to join the People's Action Party was an out-and-out left-winger. So under that environment, the People's Action Party in Singapore, which was seeking independence, inevitably split.

Lee Kuan Yew broke with the bigwigs who had promoted him. Those people withdrew from the People's Action Party and formed another party, preparing to fight for power in Singapore. Then Lee Kuan Yew decisively dealt with the other party, and that group of people died quietly.

Then, in order to seek stability, it joined forces with Tunku Abdul Rahman of Malaysia to merge into the Federation of Malaya, and with the help of external forces, it completely stabilized the internal situation of Singapore.

Afterwards, Singapore and Malaya, which were originally united in their anti-left direction, split over power, and then Malaysia was kicked out of the Federation of Malaya, leaving Singapore helplessly to become independent.

However, after independence, Lee Kuan Yew had already taken control of Singapore and began to govern internally and carry out purges externally.

And Nanyang University was the target he had always wanted to cleanse.

Because Nanyang University was a staunch supporter of the left wing in Singapore at that time.

Mr. Tan Kah Kee, a well-known patriotic overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia, actually made his fortune in Singapore. Mr. Tan Lark Sye, the founder of Nanyang University, was originally an employee of Mr. Tan Kah Kee.

Then, inspired by Mr. Tan Kah Kee, who was also a left-wing supporter and one of the behind-the-scenes bosses of the left wing in Singapore at the time, Nanyang University became a powerful weapon in their hands.

Therefore, after forcing Tan Lark Sye to leave, Nanyang University became a thorn in Lee Kuan Yao's side. After more than ten years, he finally closed down Nanyang University last year.

But now, Li Changhe said that he wanted to take over Nanyang University, which made Li Guangyao doubt Li Changhe's motives.

"It's mainly the location of the school. Of course, it would be best if we could have some teachers, but I only want science and engineering majors, not other subjects."

Li Changhe understood Li Guangyao's thoughts very well and knew his concerns, so he did not hide anything and spoke directly out.

"Science and engineering?"

Hearing Li Changhe's words, Li Guangyao's brows relaxed a little and he continued to ask curiously.

"Yes, I plan to build a science and engineering college, and then digest as much American technology as possible, and on this basis, conduct breakthrough research on my own."

"Uncle Li should know that it would be very troublesome to rely solely on the company's own R&D department for such a research institute. The best way is still the university."

"In the whole of Asia, there are only two places suitable for me to run a university: Hong Kong Island and Singapore."

"The situation in Hong Kong Island is unclear right now, and it's too close to the north. The risks are too great. In my opinion, it's not suitable for running a school there."

"So after much thought, I think Singapore is the most suitable place. The Nanyang University site just happened to be vacant, so I want to take it over. What do you think, Uncle Li?"

Li Changhe said with a smile.

Li Guangyao thought for a moment, then continued to ask: "Ayang, is your school going to be a pure science and engineering school? Will it fully cooperate with the United States?"

"We may also cooperate with Japan in the future. My idea is to build a world-class university of science and technology, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States."

Li Changhe said seriously.

After hearing this, Li Guangyao felt a little relieved.

Judging from the purpose, the other party does not seem to have any other ulterior motives.

Moreover, the school mainly cooperates with the United States and Japan, which is actually a trend in itself.

This made Li Guangyao feel a little relieved.

Thinking about the other party's relationship with the US senior officials and consortium, Li Guangyao shook his head again.

Maybe I'm a little sensitive.

The possibility of the other party being a wealthy man with such close ties with the United States being a left winger is very low.

"Ayang, it's not that I don't want to give it to you, but the current Nanyang University site is a bit troublesome."

"As you know, the government has just facilitated the merger of Nanyang University and the University of Singapore. At this time, there is a backlash from Nanyang University. If the government forces the sale of the campus at this time, I think it will be a big deal."

Li Guangyao said with a frown at this time.

Although he used government power to forcibly merge Nanyang University, this does not mean that there was no backlash from Nanyang University.

As the only Chinese university in Singapore for thirty years, Nanyang University has trained tens of thousands of outstanding students, who are now spread across Singapore and Southeast Asia.

This is also the reason why Lee Kuan Yew spent more than ten years slowly bringing down Nanyang University. He had to consider the follow-up impact.

"And I have to remind you that according to our education law, undergraduate and above degree certificates in Singapore can only be issued by public schools."

"That is to say, if you set up a private university, the highest you can offer is a diploma, which is in serious conflict with your idea."

At this time, Li Guangyao spoke to Li Changhe tactfully.

Deep down, he actually didn't want Li Changhe to establish a private university. This thing sometimes has a huge impact.

Li Changhe smiled. Since he dared to propose this condition, he would definitely not fight a battle without confidence. In fact, he had thought about this a long time ago.

"Uncle Li, I actually did some simple research before I came here. I am also familiar with some of the situations at Nanyang University. I have also considered what you said."

"I have another idea. Why don't you think about it?"

"That is, we work together to rebuild Nanyang University into a new university, but how about making this university an autonomous university?"

"Autonomous University?"

Li Guangyao was a little surprised to hear what Li Changhe said. As expected, this guy came prepared.

The so-called autonomous university is actually a university with a very high degree of independence. The government recognizes it as an official university, but it does not participate in any management. The entire school is completely managed by the school itself. The advantage of such a school is that it has a very high degree of freedom. If you do pure academic research, it will become very pure.

As for the disadvantages, they are also obvious. They are not subject to government supervision, have a lot of say on their own and can easily become a runaway horse.

"You mean, the government re-recognizes its status, and then you make a financial donation?"

Li Guangyao returned from studying in the UK. In the UK, France and Germany, university autonomy is relatively common and the universities have a high voice.

"Yes, we will change Nanyang University into an autonomous university. I will set up a social fund to donate to Nanyang University, and then we will jointly establish a supervisory committee to supervise the operation of Nanyang University."

"For example, we only support the establishment of pure science and engineering disciplines. What do you think?"

Li Changhe said seriously.

After listening to this, Li Guangyao did not frown again, but seemed to be thinking about something.

He suddenly felt that Li Changhe's proposal was indeed feasible.

He was unwilling to restore Nanyang University. One reason was that Nanyang University was special and considered a "hostile" force to him, and he did not want to see it revive.

Secondly, the objective reason is that there are few people in Xinjiapo, so there is really no need to set up too many universities, and the government does not have enough funds to support them.

It is enough for the government to fully support one National University of Singapore. Supporting another Nanyang University would only divert their resources and energy.

Now, the university autonomy proposed by Li Changhe has actually solved Li Guangyao's concerns to some extent.

University autonomy only means that the government does not participate in management, it does not mean that it has no management power at all. In this case, the government only needs to provide a basic grant.

The rest, as Li Changhe said, was supported by the foundation he founded, but similarly, the other party took away the supervisory committee.

But there is nothing wrong with the Supervisory Committee. After all, the Supervisory Committee is mainly responsible for supervising the operation of the school, but does not actually participate in the management of the school.

The entire school is in a highly autonomous state, so as long as the school has determined its educational ideas and then finds a principal or executive body that fits this idea, the operation of the entire school is actually internally managed.

The Supervisory Committee is only responsible for monitoring and reviewing the school's operating model and financial situation, and will not have a direct impact on the school's development.

From this point of view, Li Guangyao really believes that Li Changhe really wants to establish a science and engineering research university.

Moreover, this will solve one of the problems Lee Kuan Yew is currently facing, which is the backlash from Nanyang University.

As long as Singapore restores the official status of Nanyang University, the pressure originally caused by the dismemberment of Nanyang University will not be completely eliminated, but it will definitely be eliminated by more than half.

By then, the remaining rebound will not matter to him, just a minor problem.

"Ayang, in this case, your investment is huge."

"Another point is that from a legal point of view, Nanyang University has been closed down and merged into the National University of Singapore. Even if it is revived, it cannot use the name Nanyang University."

Li Guangyao had already considered it in his mind at this time, and continued to talk to Li Changhe about the issues he had considered.

Li Changhe smiled and nodded: "Of course, I think we can change the name."

“I think the new university should be called Nanyang Technological University!”

"We added the words 'Science and Technology' to the name of the school to make it clear that it is a top university in science and technology like MIT."

That’s right, his purpose of plotting to take over Nanyang University was because he knew that although Nanyang University was merged with the National University of Singapore, the school that would rise up on its site would be the future famous Nanyang Technological University.

Of course, according to the original history, Lee Kuan Yew might not be able to withstand the pressure of merging with Nanyang University, so after dismembering Nanyang University, he kept its science and engineering departments and established Nanyang Technological Institute.

In other words, in order to relieve the pressure, he downgraded Nanyang University to Nanyang Technological Institute, and then waited until ten years later before regaining his qualifications to run a university.

By that time, Nanyang Technological Institute was upgraded to Nanyang Technological University.

One of the top science and engineering universities in Asia, its world ranking is even higher than Tsinghua University and Peking University.

“Nanyang Technological University?”

When Li Guangyao heard the name Li Changhe said, a smile appeared on his face.

This point coincides with his idea. If the words "science and engineering" are added, it will indeed restrict the thinking of Nanyang University in disguise.

After all, the name of our school contains the words "science and engineering", so why should we engage in social sciences?
"Okay, Ayang, I will discuss your cooperation proposal with other government officials and give you a reply as soon as possible. I will do my best to help you promote this matter."

"After all, if a polytechnic university is really built, it will also be beneficial to Singapore."

Li Guangyao finally agreed.

Although he is the one who has the final say in Po County now, he still has to do the necessary superficial work and discuss things that need to be discussed.

"Okay, then I'll trouble Uncle Li!"

Coming out of Li Guangyao's official residence, Li Changhe breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, we finally caught this guy. These politicians are sometimes much more difficult to deal with than those American businessmen.

For Li Changhe, there is actually no difference between private universities and university autonomy. The latter is even better because it has some official background.

Li Changhe wants to take over Nanyang Technological University. His main intention is to promote cooperation between Nanyang Technological University and Europe and the United States, and then use it as a technology transit station.

After all, if Chinese faces are directly involved in high-end scientific research projects in Europe and the United States, they will be too conspicuous and there will be an invisible ceiling.

In the early days of academic introduction, Peking University and Tsinghua University actually had no appeal, and higher education institutions in Europe and the United States did not care much about cooperating with them.

Firstly, the academic capabilities of Peking University and Tsinghua University are not sufficient, and secondly, it is also related to the national attributes.

However, Po County is different. It has completely leaned towards Europe and the United States. It is not only a member of the Commonwealth, but also a country with US garrison troops. Therefore, it has inherent advantages in academic exchanges and technology transfer.

As Nanyang Technological University is a Chinese university, it is normal for some Chinese faces to appear at that time.

In addition, Li Changhe also needs a university with strong research and development capabilities. After all, Li Changhe is very clear about the future direction of science and technology. However, it is not easy to advance these by relying solely on domestic universities.

For Li Changhe, taking over Nanyang Technological University is a win-win situation. Now it depends on how fast Li Guangyao can make progress.

Li Guangyao did not disappoint Li Changhe. A few days later, he called Li Changhe.

The government has approved Nanyang Technological University’s proposal, and the next step is to negotiate with the school.

(End of this chapter)