"For many people, the image that comes to mind when NCKU is mentioned is the Banyan Garden’s verdant and flourishing banyan trees. One particularly lush banyan in front of the Industrial Design Department building has become the school’s best-known landmark. This banyan is nearly a century old and can be found inside Kuang-Fu Campus’ Banyan Garden. It was personally planted by Crown Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Shōwa) on April 21, 1923 (Taishō 12) during an inspection tour of Tainan. At that time, what is now Kuang-Fu Campus was the barracks of the Imperial Japanese Army Second Infantry Regiment. It was the army’s command center for southern Taiwan. Banyan Garden was surrounded by barracks. In front were the Industrial Design Department building (Dacheng Hall) and the Department of History building, which were dormitories. The Institute of Art Studies building (Li-Hsien Hall) on one side was a regiment headquarters. The verdant and luscious Banyan Garden became part of the national military’s Kuang-Fu base after the war. In 1966, the entire military installation became NCKU’s Kuang-Fu Campus. Hirohito’s banyan continues to thrive. In front of this tree is where NCKU’s graduates bid farewell to their youth."