NTHU LIBRARY.

Dreaming up a garden of culture

I want to tell you a secret. On the NTHU campus there is a secluded spot, green and luxuriant, with a hill and a man-made lake. . . . I plan to plant a tree on the hill, and next to it I’m going to build a pavilion; I’m going to provide the funds, and the school has already agreed. The pavilion will be named the Go Pavilion, and inside it will be a few benches made of rot-resistant wood and, of course, a Go board, made of durable materials developed by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The pavilion will serve as a place to play Go or to simply relax, so even if it doesn’t attract many serious Go players, that won’t matter very much.

— Excerpt from Chun-shan Shen’s second letter to Yi-chen, titled “Gasoline and Motor Oil.”

Chun-shan Shen was a gifted man of letters, and he was deeply dedicated to both Go and NTHU. As president of NTHU from 1994 to 1997, Shen used his superb skill in Go to raise funds for the school. In 1995, while discussing fundraising for the school with a group of business leaders, Hsing-cheng Tsao, the chairman of United Microelectronics Corporation, challenged Shen to a game of Go and agreed to donate 10,000 dollars to NTHU for every point won by Shen. At first, Shen thought that Tsao was talking about new Taiwan dollars, but as it turned out he meant US dollars, and Shen ended up raising NT$15 million for Tsinghua University. This was the seed which eventually grew into the Go Pavilion and the Go Garden, both built upon President Shen’s ideal in a modest style with a minimal amount of concrete and without removing any trees, so as to maintain an ambience overflowing with tranquility and nature.

A perfect blend of Go, art, and nature, the Go Garden is imbued with elegant simplicity exuding an other-worldly charm. In addition to NTHU faculty and students, Shen and his literati friends contributed to the design of the Garden, which features the calligraphy and strategy tips from a host of contemporary Go masters.

Constructed of wood in a rustic style, the Go Pavilion was completed in January 2010. Under the direction of the Art Center, the planning of the Go Garden officially commenced in October 2011. This was the first campus project implemented in the manner of a public art rather than simply construction, which was completely funded by a private donation. To fund the project, Shen donated NT$6 million—the pension he received after retiring from his teaching position in the United States.

NTHU had long been regarded as strong in science and engineering, but weak in culture and the humanities, and one of Shen’s retirement goals was to further rectify this lopsided reputation, but his plan seemed to be superseded by his third stroke. However, by that time his idea had gained traction with the wider NTHU community, which joined together to bring his dream to fruition.