Sichuan University is one of the oldest national universities in China. It is ranked No. 8 among the Chinese universities according to the 2010
Academic Ranking of World UniversitiesThe Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...
.
Sichuan University is one of the national universities directly under
the Ministry of Education (MOE)The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China , formerly Ministry of Education, Central People's Government from 1949 to 1954, State Education Commission from 1985 to 1998, is headquartered in Beijing. It is the agency of the State Council which regulates all aspects of the...
. It is also one of the State
211 ProjectProject 211 is a project of National Key Universities and colleges initiated in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, with the intent of raising the research standards of high-level universities and cultivating strategies for socio-economic development...
and
985 ProjectProject 985 is a project first announced by CPC General secretary and Chinese President Jiang Zemin at the 100th anniversary of Peking University on May 4, 1998 to promote the development and reputation of the Chinese higher education system...
universities enjoying privileged construction in the Ninth Five-Year Plan period.
The president of the university is Professor Xie Heping, an academician of the
Chinese Academy of EngineeringThe Chinese Academy of Engineering is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China...
.
History
Sichuan University (SCU) is the result of a merge of three national universities. In 1994, the original Sichuan University merged with the Chengdu University of Science and Technology (CUST), a national university under
the Ministry of EducationThe Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China , formerly Ministry of Education, Central People's Government from 1949 to 1954, State Education Commission from 1985 to 1998, is headquartered in Beijing. It is the agency of the State Council which regulates all aspects of the...
. The merged university was shortly known by the name of Sichuan Union University. In 2000, Sichuan University merged with West China University of Medical Science (WCUMS), a university under the State Ministry of Health, and became "Sichuan University".
The original Sichuan University was one of the earliest institutions of
higher education in ChinaHigher education in China is continuously growing, changing and developing. There are over 2,000 universities and colleges, with more than six million enrollments in total. China has set up a degree system, including Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees that are open to foreign students...
, with a history dating back to
Sichuan Zhong-Xi Xuetang (Sichuan Chinese and Western School), established in 1896. The Xuetang was in a direct line of succession with
Jinjiang Shuyuan and
Zunjing Shuyuan, institutions of Chinese classical learning, established in 1704 and 1875, respectively.
By 1949, Sichuan University had developed into the biggest national multidisciplinary university with branches in:
literatureLiterature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
,
scienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
,
engineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
,
agricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
,
lawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, and teacher training.
In 1949, upon the nationwide adjustment of universities and colleges, spurred by the Chinese revolution, Sichuan University added courses on literature,
historiographyHistoriography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
,
religionReligion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
,
mathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
,
physicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
,
biologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, and other subjects. In 1958, it was the only university outside
BeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
directly administerd by the
Central GovernmentAll power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
.
The former Chengdu University of Science and Technology was established as the Chengdu Engineering College in 1954 as the result of the nation-wide college and department adjustment. It specialized in
chemical engineeringChemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
,
hydroelectricityHydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
,
mechanicsMechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
, textiles, and
light industryLight industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
.
The former West China University of Medical Science was originally built as a private medical school, once known as Huaxi Xiehe College (West China Union College). It was established in 1910 by five Christian missionary groups from the U.S., UK and
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with offered courses in stomatology, biomedicine, basic medicine and clinical medicine. WCUMS has been a medical university in China that also enjoys a good reputation abroad.
Zhang LanZhang Lan , courtesy name Biaofang, was a Chinese political activist best known for being the chairman of the China Democratic League from its founding in 1941 until 1955.-Biography:Zhang was born into a scholarly family in Nanchong, Sichuan in 1872...
, social activist, educationist, and former Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Central Government, and
Wu YuzhangWu Yuzhang was a Chinese politician and educationist, President of Renmin University of China from 1950 to 1966.-Biography:...
, revolutionary and educationist, were once the President of the university. Other notable people who studied at SCU include Marshal
Zhu DeZhu De was a Chinese militarist, politician, revolutionary, and one of the pioneers of the Chinese Communist Party. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1955 Zhu became one of the Ten Marshals of the People's Liberation Army, of which he is regarded as the founder.-Early...
, one of the founding fathers of the
People's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and the
People's Liberation ArmyThe People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
,
Guo MoruoGuo Moruo , courtesy name Dingtang , was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official from Sichuan, China.-Family history:Guo, originally named Guo Kaizhen, was born on November 10 or 16, in the small town of Shawan...
, a literary expert and previous president of Chinese Academy of Science, and
Ba JinLi Yaotang , courtesy name Feigan , is considered to be one of the most important and widely-read Chinese writers of the 20th century. He wrote under the pen name of Ba Jin , Pa Chin, Li Fei-Kan, Li Pei-Kan, Pa Kin, allegedly taking his pseudonym from Russian anarchists Bakunin and Kropotkin...
, a well-known Chinese author.
Today, Sichuan University is the most comprehensive and largest university in
Western ChinaWestern China , refers to the western part of China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers six provinces: Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan; one municipality: Chongqing; and three autonomous regions: Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang.-Administrative...
, and is part of
Project 211Project 211 is a project of National Key Universities and colleges initiated in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, with the intent of raising the research standards of high-level universities and cultivating strategies for socio-economic development...
. SCU grants
doctorateA doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
s in twelve main disciplines and 111 subordinate disciplines. It also has six professional degree programs, and has 16 disciplines for postdoctoral research. The 109
bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
programs SCU grants cover the main fields in
liberal artsThe term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, sciences,
engineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
,
medicineMedicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and
agricultureAgriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Its current student population is more than 70,000 and its alumni number over 200,000.
Faculty
Sichuan University has a current total staff of 11,357, among which 1,323 are
professorA professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s, 2,345 associate professors, 10 academicians of
Chinese Academy of SciencesThe Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
and
Chinese Academy of EngineeringThe Chinese Academy of Engineering is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China...
, 434 tutors of doctoral students, and 17 members of the Academic Degrees Committee and the Discipline Appraisal Group under the
State CouncilThe State Council of the People's Republic of China , which is largely synonymous with the Central People's Government after 1954, is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency...
. SCU has 14 professorships from the Yangtze River Scholar Award Plan (9 engaged plus 1 lecture professor).
Research
Sichuan University has two national key labs, six national engineering centers, five ministerial (MOE) key labs, 35 provincial key labs, 10 ministerial and provincial centers, four key research bases for humanities and social sciences, and four clinical research bases at the national level. The university has invested significantly in research, teaching and medical equipment, with a total value of about 530 million RMB.
SCU has undertaken and completed a considerable number of national, ministerial and regional research projects, and has made many achievements that are rated first class in China and bear significant international influence. The university publishes more than 4,000 research papers annually.
In 2002, the university's state and central government funding ranked fifth among Chinese universities; it was ranked seventh for the number of publications and eleventh for publications included in SCI. The citations ranked fifteenth among Chinese universities. The number of publications in science, engineering and medicine ranked sixth, and the citations ranked seventh among Chinese universities. In 2002, the university applied for 121 patents, 102 out of which were invention-oriented, making it number eighth among peer schools.
Facilities
The University has four libraries containing, in total, about 5.5 million volumes. The libraries also serves as the Collection Center for English Publications under the National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,
MOEThe Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China , formerly Ministry of Education, Central People's Government from 1949 to 1954, State Education Commission from 1985 to 1998, is headquartered in Beijing. It is the agency of the State Council which regulates all aspects of the...
Information Center for Liberal Arts Literature and CALIS Southwest Sub-center. The National University Scientific and Technological Projects and Achievements Consulting Center, and Center for Medical Literature Retrieval in Southwest China are served by the SCU library as well. The University Museum is the only one of its kind in China with a comprehensive collection of over 40,000 cultural relics, and over 600,000 animal and plant specimens, ranking first in its holdings among the others in China. The University Stadium is fully equipped and once served as the main field for the Sixth National Collegiate Sports Meet. Other sub-divisions available are Campus Web Center, Analytic and Testing Center, University Archive Establishment,
University Press, National Foreign Language Examination Center and
Intensive Language Training Center, 4 attached hospitals, and 1 attached health school. So far the university has published 37 academic periodicals to domestic and overseas subscribers.
Campuses
Sichuan University's three campuses are located in
ChengduChengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, the
capital cityCapital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of Sichuan Province. The older
Wangjiang campus (望江) is in central Chengdu, adjacent to the Jinjiang River and its
tributaryA tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
the Jiang'an River. The nearby
Huaxi (华西) Campus is the site of the medical school. The
Jiang'an (江安) Campus was built in 2003 in
Shuangliu CountyShuangliu County is a county in the southwestern part of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, China. Located approximately 19 kilometers away from downtown Chengdu, the county covers 1068 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 920,000...
about 12.5 km away from the older campuses; it covers an area of about 4.7 km² and has total floorage of more than 2.7 million m².
Colleges and Schools
The University has over 30 colleges or schools in various disciplines, including:
- Wu Yuzhang Honors College
Official name Wuyuzhang Honorary College, also transliterated as Wu Yuzhang Honors College, is an elite undergraduate college of Sichuan University.-Introduction:Named after famous educator, former Sichuan University President Wu...
Wuyuzhang Honors College is the elite undergraduate college of Sichuan University.
The College of Physical Science and Technology is located in Wangjiang Campus, which is one of the most biggest and eldest college in the university. The Department of Physics was established in the year 1928, which means have a history more than 80 years. There are two key national deciplines, which is Atomic&Mol. Physics and Nuclear Technology. Basically speaking, the Atomic&Mol. Physics is studied in the western part of Wangjiang Campus, and the Nuclear Technology is carried out in the eastern part, in NO.1 Science Building. There're also professor focus on the study of Optics, Condense Matter, Theory. The Optics was originally a national discipline in 1980s, but not as much currently. Condense Matter physics its research on mesoscopic electron transportation lab. And the leader of the laboratory, academician of Chinese Engineering Academy Prof. Jie Gao, now focus on the transportation of single electron with the aim of finding novelty ways to measure tiny electrical current.
- College of Arts
- College of Foreign Languages and Cultures
- College of Mathematics
- School of Chemical Engineering
- School of Pharmacy
- West China College of Stomatology
- West China College of Stomatology has a significant role in the development of modern stomatology
Stomatology is the branch of medicine and dentistry relating to the mouth and mouth disease. It was practiced by physicians as a medical specialty in the early 20th century in the United States but these concerns are now largely handled by dentists....
, and was the earliest hospital of stomatology in China. A dental clinic called Ren Ji Dental Clinic was founded in 1907, and then expanded to the first dental hospital in China in 1912. In 1917 the medical faculty of West China Union University (WCUU) established a department of dentistry and in 1921 the status was raised to the college of dentistry of WCUU. In 1928 the college of Medicine and dentistry formed the joint college of medicine and dentistry of WCUU. It was renamed as Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan Medical College in 1953. In 1985, it was granted a name as the College of Stomatology, West China University of Medical Sciences and was changed into West China College of Stomatology, Sichuan University in 2000.
Notable people associated with Sichuan University
- Zhu De
Zhu De was a Chinese militarist, politician, revolutionary, and one of the pioneers of the Chinese Communist Party. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1955 Zhu became one of the Ten Marshals of the People's Liberation Army, of which he is regarded as the founder.-Early...
朱德
- Yang Shangkun
Yang Shangkun was President of the People's Republic of China from 1988 to 1993, and was permanent Vice-chair of the Central Military Commission...
杨尚昆
- Guo Moruo
Guo Moruo , courtesy name Dingtang , was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official from Sichuan, China.-Family history:Guo, originally named Guo Kaizhen, was born on November 10 or 16, in the small town of Shawan...
郭沫若
- Ba Jin
Li Yaotang , courtesy name Feigan , is considered to be one of the most important and widely-read Chinese writers of the 20th century. He wrote under the pen name of Ba Jin , Pa Chin, Li Fei-Kan, Li Pei-Kan, Pa Kin, allegedly taking his pseudonym from Russian anarchists Bakunin and Kropotkin...
巴金
- Feng Youlan
Feng Youlan or Fung Yu-Lan was a Chinese philosopher who was important for reintroducing the study of Chinese philosophy.-Early life, education, & career:...
冯友兰
- Wu Yuzhang
Wu Yuzhang was a Chinese politician and educationist, President of Renmin University of China from 1950 to 1966.-Biography:...
吴玉章
- Tong Dizhou
Tong Dizhou was a Chinese embryologist remembered for his contributions to the field of cloning. He was the former vice president of Chinese Academy of Science-Biography:...
童第周
- Zhu Guangqian
Zhu Guangqian 朱光潛 is the founder of the study of aesthetics in 20th c. China. After earning his B.A. from Hong Kong University, he went abroad to study aesthetics at the University of Edinburgh and University College, London, then to France and the University of Strasbourg where he earned his...
朱光潜
- Ke Zhao 柯召
- Pu Baoming 蒲保明
- Li Jian Guo
- Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles....
郑洁
- Yan Zi
Yan Zi is a Chinese women's tennis player.Yan Zi may also refer to:* Stefanie Sun , also known as Sun Yan Zi, Singaporean singer** Yan Zi , Sun's self-titled album...
晏紫
- Zhang Shan
Zhang Shan is a Chinese sports shooter and Olympic Champion. She won the gold medal in the Olympic Skeet Shooting event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona....
张山
- Zhu Ling
Zhu Ling is a Chinese volleyball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics.In 1984 she was a member of the Chinese volleyball team which won the gold medal. She played all five matches....
朱玲
- Zhang Liangying 张靓颖
International rankings
- The 2010 Academic Ranking of World Universities
The Academic Ranking of World Universities , commonly known as the Shanghai ranking, is a publication that was founded and compiled by the Shanghai Jiaotong University to rank universities globally. The rankings have been conducted since 2003 and updated annually...
by Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai Jiao Tong University or SJTU), sometimes referred to as Shanghai Jiaotong University , is a top public research university located in Shanghai, China. Shanghai Jiao Tong University is known as one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China...
ranked Sichuan University No. 8 among Chinese universities and in the 301-400 bracket worldwide.
External links