Wuhan University

Wuhan University (WHU; Simplified Chinese: 武汉大学; Traditional Chinese: 武漢大學; Pinyin: Wǔhàn Dàxué; colloquially 武大, Pinyin: Wǔdà) is a key university directly under the administration of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. It is located in Hubei Province's capital Wuhan, known as "the thoroughfare leading to nine provinces".

History

The university dates back to the Ziqiang Institute (Simplified Chinese: 自强学堂; Traditional Chinese: 自強學堂; Pinyin: Zìqiáng Xuétáng ), which was founded in 1893 by Zhang Zhidong 张之洞, governor of Hubei and Hunan Provinces in the late Qing Dynasty. Later, it changed its name several times before it was named National Wuhan University in July 1928, and was among the first group of national universities in modern China. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Wuhan University moved to Leshan, Sichuan Province and returned to Luojia Hill after the war.

By the end of 1946, the university had six colleges: the colleges of liberal arts, law, sciences, engineering, agriculture and medicine. Wuhan University enjoyed a very high academic status, with Wang Shijie, Wang Xinggong and Zhou Gengsheng as its successive presidents.

Zhou Enlai, Dong Biwu, Chen Tanqiu, Deng Yingchao and Luo Ronghuan were involved in revolutionary communist activity here before 1949.

A great number of well-known scholars like Gu Hongming, Zhu Kezhen, Wu Baoliang, Zha Qian, Gui Zhiting, Ye Yage, Li Siguang, Wen Yiduo, Huang Kan, Yu Dafu, Shen Congwen, Zhu Guangqian, Liu Ze, Liu Yongji, Ye Shengtao, Yang Duanliu and Li Jiannong taught here successively.

According to the university, in 1948, the University of Oxford wrote an official letter to the Ministry of Education of the Chinese National Government, stating that bachelors of liberal arts and sciences that graduated from Wuhan University with average grades above 80 could enjoy "the senior status of Oxford". In 1952, after a general reshuffle of the colleges and departments of the higher educational institutions throughout the country, Wuhan University became a key university of liberal arts and sciences directly under the administration of the Ministry of Higher Education. Professor Li Da, Delegate to the First Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and a celebrated philosopher, economist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, held the post of president of the university for 14 years. The prestigious Wuhan University Medical School and Tongji University Medical School jointly formed Central-south Tongji Medical College (later Wuhan Medical College), then Tongji Medical University.

On August 2, 2000, with the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the new Wuhan University was established as a combination of four major universities close together

the former Wuhan University, the former Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electrical Engineering (WUHEE), the former Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping (WTUSM) and the former Hubei Medical University (HBMU).

Note:

Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electrical Engineering (WUHEE) (Simplified Chinese: 武汉水利电力大学; Traditional Chinese: 武汉水利电力大学; Pinyin: Wǔhàn Shuǐlì Diànlì Dàxué; colloquially 武水, Pinyin: Wǔshuǐ).
Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping (WTUSM) (Simplified Chinese: 武汉测绘科技大学; Traditional Chinese: 武汉测绘科技大学; Pinyin: Wǔhàn Cèhuì Kējì Dàxué; colloquially 武测, Pinyin: Wǔcè).
Hubei Medical University (HBMU) (Simplified Chinese: 湖北医科大学; Traditional Chinese: 湖北医科大学; Pinyin: Húběi Yīkē Dàxué; colloquially 湖医, Pinyin: Húyī).

The historical evolution of Wuhan University (table)

Year	School Name in English	School Name in Simplified Chinese	School Name in Traditional Chinese	School Name in Pinyin
1893	Ziqiang Institute	自强学堂	自强学堂	Zìqiáng Xuétáng
1902	Foreign Languages Institute	方言学堂	方言学堂	Fāngyán Xuétáng
1913	The National Wuchang Higher Normal collage	国立武昌高等师范学校	国立武昌高等师范学校	Guólì Wǔchāng Gāoděng Shīfàn Xuéxiào
1923	The National Wuchang Normal University	国立武昌师范大学	国立武昌师范大学	Guólì Wǔchāng Shīfàn Dàxué
1924	The National Wuchang University	国立武昌大学	国立武昌大学	Guólì Wǔchāng Dàxué
1926	The National Wuchang Zhongshan University	国立武昌中山大学	国立武昌中山大学	Guólì Wǔchāng Zhōngshān Dàxué
1928	National Wuhan University	国立武汉大学	国立武汉大学	Guólì Wǔhàn Dàxué
1949	(the Former) Wuhan University	武汉大学 (老)	武汉大学 (老)	(lǎo) Wǔhàn Dàxué
2000	(the New) Wuhan University	武汉大学 (新)	武汉大学 (新)	(xīn) Wǔhàn Dàxué

Academics

School of Chinese Linguistics and Literature (文学院), History School (历史学院), School of Philosophy (哲学学院), School of Foreign Languages and Literature (外国语言文学学院), School of Journalism and Communication (新闻与传播学院), Depatment of Art (艺术学系)
School of Information Management (信息管理学院), School of Economics and Management (经济与管理学院), Law School (法学院), School of Political Science and Public Management (政治与公共管理学院), College of Education (教育科学学院), WTO Studies School (WTO学院), Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) (高级研究中心)
School of Mathematics and Statistics (数学与统计学院), School of Physics (物理科学与技术学院), College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences (化学与分子科学学院), College of Life Sciences (生命科学学院), School of Resource and Environmental Science (资源与环境科学学院), College of Pharmacy (药学院), College of Masterial Science and Engineering (材料科学与工程学院)
School of Water Resource and Hydropower (水利水电学院), School of Electrical Engineering (电气工程学院), College of Power and Mechanical Engineering (动力与机械学院), School of Urban Design (城市设计学院), School of Civil Engineering (土木建筑工程学院)
School of Computer Science (计算机学院), School of Remote Sensing Information Engineering (遥感信息工程学院), School of Electronic Information (电子信息学院), International School of Software (国际软件学院), School of Geodesy and Geomatics (测绘学院), School of Printing and Packaging (印刷与包装系)
School of Medicine (医学院), College of Basic Medicine (基础医学院), School of Nursing (HOPE护理学院), School of Stomatology (口腔医学院), School of Public Health (公共卫生学院)
College of Foreign Students Education (留学生教育学院), School of Network Education (网络教育学院)

Present

Wuhan University enjoys a high academic reputation in China and has continuosly ranked top 10 in China.

Wuhan University is a comprehensive university, with 53,000 students including 18,000 postgraduates.

Campus

The university has rolling physical features with the scenic Luojia Hill and the beautiful East Lake. Its campus is wooded and green, and has fragrant flowers everywhere all year round. Wuhan University is widely known as one of the most beautiful universities in China， especially for its cherry blossom garden in Spring.

Wuhan University boasts a campus which covers an area of 5508 mu and it has a floor area of 2.42 square kilometres. The university's libraries have a collection of approximately 5.4 million volumes, subscribe to more than 10,000 kinds of Chinese and foreign periodicals, are the central-China center officially decided for the "211 Project" documents--ensuring system of the Chinese universities and colleges.

External links

Colleges and universities in Wuhan | Project 211 | Educational institutions established in 1893