Fondly remembered as ‘Nantah’ by its alumni, the Chinese-medium Nanyang University was founded by prominent businessman and philanthropist, Tan Lark Sye. It was officially opened in 1958, aided by generous financial contributions from Tan and other members of the Chinese community, and land donated by the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan. In August 1980, Nanyang University merged with the University of Singapore to form the National University of Singapore. The old ‘Nantah’ campus became the site of the new Nanyang Technological Institute, which was renamed the Nanyang Technological University in 1991.
