Sichuan University is a major Chinese university, located in the city of Chengdu, in the Sichuan province of the People's Republic of China. A professor giving a lecture at the Helsinki University of Technology A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ... Location within China Chengdu (Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Cheng-tu) is the capital of Sichuan province and a sub-provincial city, located in southwest China, and bordering Tibet. ... Sichuan (Chinese: 四川; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ssu-ch`uan; obsolete romanizations include Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in central-western China with its capital at Chengdu. ...

As one of the national key universities directly under the State Ministry of Education (MOE) as well as one of the State “211 Project” universities enjoying privileged construction in the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, the present Sichuan University (SCU) was first incorporated with Chengdu University of Science and Technology (CUST), another national key university under the MOE in1994, and West China University of Medical Science (WCUMS), a key university directly subordinated to the State Ministry of Health in 2000. The present Secretary of the Party committee is Prof. Yang Quan-ming, and the President currently in office is Prof. Xie He-ping (academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering).

At present, SCU has the widest coverage of disciplines and the largest scale of operation in West China. There are 15 key disciplines at the national level, 14 “211 Project” key construction disciplines, 29 key disciplines at the provincial and ministerial level, 4 national bases for personnel training in basic disciplines and scientific research, and a teaching base for engineering courses. Besides, it has 12 first-class disciplines to grant Doctor’s degree and Master’s degree, 111 second-class disciplines to grant Doctor’s degree, 178 Master programs, 6 specialized degree programs, and 16 post-doctor stations. The 109 bachelor programs cover the major fields in liberal arts, sciences, engineering, medicine and agriculture. SCU has a current student population of more than 70 thousand. Ever since the birth of New China, it has cultivated over 200 thousand students, and therefore it has been identified by the MOE as the Collegiate Cultural Quality Education Base.

SCU enjoys a long history, glorious traditions and a firm strength in operation. The former Sichuan Univ. was one of the earliest institutes of higher learning in China, with a history dating back to Sichuan Zhong-Xi Xuetang (Sichuan Chinese and Western School), established in 1896, which was in a direct line of succession with Jinjiang Shuyuan and Zunjing Shuyuan, places for classical learning, set up in 1704 and 1875 respectively. By the eve of New China, Sichuan Univ. had developed into the biggest national multidisciplinary university with 6 colleges of literature, science, engineering, agriculture, law and teachers training, and 25 departments. Sichuan Univ. is one of the pioneers of modern Chinese higher education, playing a demonstrating role in the development of the modern higher education in West China. After the birth of New China, through the nationwide adjustment of colleges and departments, Sichuan Univ. grew out to be a dominant comprehensive university in literature, historiography, religion, math, biology, etc. In 1958, it was the only one (the other six in Beijing) that was identified by the Central Government as university directly under the State administration and guiding the others. The predecessor of CUST is Chengdu Engineering College, set up in 1954 as the result of the nation-wide college and department adjustment, with celebrated disciplines in materials, chemical engineering, hydroelectricity, mechanics, textile and light industry, etc. WCUMS originated from the private Huaxi Xiehe College (West China Coordinated College), established in 1910 by five Christian missionary groups from U.S.A., UK and Canada, with disciplines in stomatology, biomedicine, basic medicine and clinical medicine greatly influential at home and abroad. Throughout its centennial history, SCU has been the cradle for a great number of celebrated revolutionaries, educators as well as scientists and men of letters enjoying a high reputation both at home and abroad. Among them, both Zhang Lan, the famous social activist, educationist, and the former Vice-chairman of the Central Government, and Wu Yuzhang, the noted revolutionary and educationist, once took up office as the president successively. Marshal Zhu De, one the founding fathers of the People’s Republic China and the People’s Liberation Army; Guo Moruo, a literary giant and the previous president of Chinese Academy of Science; Ba Jin, a leading authority in literature, once studied here. Up to now, there are 45 academicians among the alumni.

SCU has a competent teaching force. It has a current total staff of 11,357, among whom 969 are professors, 2192 associate professors, 6 academicians of Chinese Academy of Science and Chinese Academy of Engineering, 434 tutors of doctor students, and 17 members of the Academic Degrees Committee and the Discipline Appraisal Group under the State Council. Besides, the university has 14 posts of the “Yangtze River Scholar Award Plan” for specially engaged professors (9 engaged plus 1 lecture professor).

SCU has great potentiality in scientific research. There are in function 2 national key labs, 6 national engineering centers, 5 ministerial (MOE) key labs, 35 provincial key labs, 10 ministerial and provincial centers, 4 key research bases for humanities and social sciences, and 4 clinical research bases at the national level. SCU has undertaken and completed a considerable number of national, ministerial and regional major research projects, and has made many achievements, which are rated first class in China and bear significant international influence. The total value of the equipment applied to teaching, scientific research and medical treatment amounts to about 530 million RMB yuan and the annual publications of research papers exceed 4,000. In 2002, the university was supported with a total of 29 million RMB yuan for scientific research in natural science, engineering and medicine; entrusted with 140 National Natural Science Foundation projects for a total of 29 million RMB yuan, 112 out of which were to hand, amounting to 29.5 million RMB yuan, ranking fifth among other universities in China. In addition, it was supported with another 29 million RMB yuan for research in humanities and social science. In that year, 3079 scientific papers were published at home and abroad, ranking seventh, among which 341 were included by SCI, ranking eleventh, and quoted by 391 times, ranking fifteenth. 2484 papers in science, engineering and medicine were published in China’s core periodicals, ranking sixth, and were quoted by 2644 times, ranking seventh. In the same year, 150-odd monographs and 1,500-odd papers in social science were published, with more than 40% indexed by CSSCI. Still in that year, the university succeeded in applying 121 patents, 102 out of which were invention-oriented, ranking eighth. SCU enjoys favorable facilities. The University Library (with 3 sub-divisions), which comprises about 4.8 million volumes, serves as the Collection Center for English Publications under the National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, MOE Information Center for Liberal Arts Literature and CALIS Southwest Sub-center, National University Scientific and Technological Projects and Achievements Consulting Center, and Center for Medical Literature Retrieval in Southwest China as well. The University Museum is the only one of its kind in China with a comprehensive collection of cultural relics over 40,000 pieces, and animal and plant specimens over 600,000 pieces, ranking first in its holdings among the others in China. The University Stadium is fully and sophisticatedly 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, 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. SCU is located in Chengdu, a culturally and historically noticeable city, adjacent to the Jinjiang River and its tributary Jiang’an River. The University consists of 3 Campuses of Wangjiang, Huaxi and Jiang’an, covering an area of over 7,000 Chinese mu (about 4.7 km2), with a total floorage of more than 2.7 million square meters. SCU is the ideal place for academic studies and researches with the campuses set in agreeable environments of green plants, lawns and trees.

External links

• Sichuan University website (Chinese)
• Sichuan University website (English)