In 1957 NTHU president Mei Yi Chi went to the United States to negotiate the purchase of an open-pool nuclear reactor. The reactor was purchased from General Electric in 1958, and became operational in 1961, marking the inception of the nuclear age in Taiwan. The Nuclear Reactor Building（1958）was designed by NTHU alumnus Chang Chang Hua（張昌華）（Department of Engineering, 1929）, and major participants in its construction included the Chinese Petroleum Corporation, the Taiwan Power Company, Taiwan Aluminum, and the Union Industrial Research Institute. To mark the completion of the reactor, the Post Office issued a set of three commemorative stamps. After more than half a century, having withstood numerous major earthquakes, the sturdy reactor is still being used for research in various fields.