Abstract: Despite the harsh environment of war and poor material supply, both the faculty and the students of National Southwest Associated University (NSAU, 1937-1946) accomplished teaching objectives through inquiry-based classroom teaching, academic research led extra-curricular exchanges,"joint-travel" academic practice, and unperceivable immersion of academic atmosphere to stun the world with great academic achievements and emergence of outstanding scholars and scientists. The firm belief to save motherland through education, a resourceful teaching faculty, full commitment of both the teachers and the students, and the comparatively free teaching mode were among the reasons underlying the successful practice of “talent cultivation through research” of NSAU. Although it may not be possible to sum up some universally practical formula for today, the “talent cultivation through research” practice of NSAU gives us the following revelation: the talent cultivation through research program should be practiced by means of a number of methods, such as examples of the teachers and immersion of an appropriate atmosphere; and weight of too much material benefits should be lifted from evaluation of academic research to encourage both the faculty and the students to devote themselves to research.

Key words: National Southwest Associated University (NSAU), teaching faculty of NSAU, talent cultivation through research