Editing Yunnan (section)

=== Post-Imperial ===
Yunnan was transformed by the events of the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], which caused many east coast refugees and industrial establishments to relocate to the province. It assumed strategic significance, particularly as the [[Burma Road]] from [[Lashio]], in [[Burma]] to [[Kunming]] was a fought over supply line of vital importance to China's war effort.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/burma-road-is-reopened |title=Burma Road is reopened |website=History Channel |access-date=2019-06-05 |archive-date=2019-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604194343/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/burma-road-is-reopened |url-status=live }}</ref>

University faculty and students in the east had originally decamped to [[Changsha]], capital of [[Hunan]]. But as Japanese forces were gaining more territory they eventually bombed Changsha in February 1938. The 800 faculty and students who were left had to flee and made the 1,000 mile journey to [[Kunming]], capital of Yunnan in China's mountainous southwest. It was here that the [[National Southwest Associated University]] (commonly known as Lianda University) was established. For eight years, staff, professors and students had to survive and operate in makeshift quarters that were subject to sporadic bombing campaigns by the Japanese.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Lianda: a Chinese university in war and revolution |last=Israel |first=John |date=1998 |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=0804729298 |oclc=39108542}}</ref> There were dire shortages of food, equipment, books, clothing and other essential needs, but they managed to conduct the running of a modern [[university]]. Over those eight years of war (1937–1945), Lianda became famous nationwide for having and producing many, if not most, of China's most prominent academics, scholars, scientists and intellectuals. Both of China's only [[Nobel laureates in physics]] [[Yang Chen-Ning]] and [[Tsung-Dao Lee]] studied at Lianda in Kunming.