The National Southwestern Associated University (Lianda) emerged as a pivotal institution of moral cultivation during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945). Rooted in Kunming yet committed to national salvation, it fulfilled three transformative roles that exemplify higher education’s sociocultural mission: Regional Developer, Wartime Exemplar, and Cultural Inheritor. As Regional Developer, Lianda integrated academic endeavors with local cultural life, transforming regional customs while establishing Kunming as Southwest China’s cultural nucleus. As Wartime Exemplar, beyond preserving China’s educational continuity, Lianda resolved critical pedagogical questions concerning wartime education delivery and the interplay of “resistance and national reconstruction” with “academic nation-building.” Furthermore, it emerged as a standard-bearer for Chinese higher education during the war, mobilizing intellectuals for cultural resistance and thereby discharging higher education’s unique societal responsibilities in wartime. As Cultural Inheritor of China’s educational legacy, Lianda scholars synthesized their academic pursuits with China’s outstanding traditional culture. This synthesis forged a new paradigm for interpreting higher education through China’s own pedagogical heritage, ultimately constructing a distinctively Chinese discourse and conceptual framework for higher education. This multifaceted role constituted Lianda’s unique social significance during the war. As a model, Lianda demonstrates that higher education’s capacity to transform society and refine customs hinges on its leadership in cultural transmission and talent cultivation—essential intellectual foundations for national strengthening and rejuvenation.