Soochow Inaugurates New School History Showroom with Digital Features

On October 9^th, 2020, Soochow University unveiled its brand-new display space for school history at Waishuanghsi campus as a part of the celebration of its 120^th anniversary. The facility, named Soochow University Memory Archives, is characterized by its digital and AR technologies, presenting the school’s past records in an innovative and different way.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by the school heads and many alumni, including Chairman of the school board Shao-Yu Wang, President Wei-Ta Pan, Chair of the Alumni Association Ji-Ren Liu, President of the Brandon Global Trading Company Guang-Qing Lin, and Managing Director of the Friends of Soochow Rober Oehler, all of whom cut the ribbon together to officially begin the use of this new showroom. 

Located in the center area on the first-floor of the Grand Complex (B building), the newly designed space is a joint effort by the Secretariat, the Office of General Affairs, the Office of Social Resource, and the Library, and is expected to attract more visits from students, alumni, and guests.

The Chinese name of this facility, literally “Soochow Huai-En digital school history hall” as “Huai-En” means “remembering others’ benevolence,” was given by Chairman of the school board Shao-Yu Wang, who hoped all Soochowers could keep in mind the love and support from predecessors who have contributed to the University.

The new showroom itself was attributed to the generous donations from home and abroad that have accumulated to a total amount of NT$29,562,430 by the end of September 2020, which the school particularly thanked for.

By relocating the former history showroom from the fifth floor to the first floor at Grand Complex with renovation and expansion, the school anticipates that more teachers and students of Soochow would spend time visiting the space and learning more about the school.

The innovative room is equipped with augmented reality technology that helps guests to know Soochow’s hundred-year history through interactive features. The welcome wall at the entrance, one major highlight that integrates the ideas of technology, arts, and modern aesthetics, shows a digital waterfall when touched with hands, followed by the emergence of AR color ink painting and the SCU school motto written by a master calligrapher with the university’s anthem as background music, bringing audio-visual surprise to visitors.

The grand opening of Soochow University Memory Archives marked a new milestone for SCU. It showed the solidarity of all units of the school, and represented the heritage the school hopes to pass on for generations.