Brief Introduction
Sichuan University is one of China’s key universities under the direct supervision of Ministry of Education. Located in West China, it is identified as a key high-level comprehensive research university under Project 985 and Project 211. The Chairman of the University Council of Sichuan University is Professor Yang Quanming, and the President is Professor XieHeping, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Sichuan University is located in Chengdu, a famous historic and cultural city known as “the land of abundance”. It consists of three campuses of Wangjiang, Huaxi and Jiangan, covering an area of 7,050 Chinese mu (or 470 hectares) and boasting 254 hectares of floor space. The university campuses, with their favorable environment and beautiful landscape, make a wonderful place for learning and doing research.
(1). History
Sichuan University is an institution that has a series of mergers involving three national universities: the former Sichuan University, the former Chengdu University of Science and Technology, and the former West China University of Medical Sciences. The history of Sichuan University dates back to as early as 1896 when Lu Chuanlin, Governor of Sichuan, founded Sichuan Chinese and Western School on the orders of Emperor Guangxu. It is the earliest higher education institute in southwest China. The former Chengdu University of Science and Technology was one of the earliest multidisciplinary engineering universities established through a restructuring program of colleges and universities. The former West China University of Medical Sciences was originally West China Union University, which was established by western Christian missionaries in Chengdu in 1910. It was not only one of the first universities of western tradition, but also one of the first universities to offer postgraduate programs in China.
In 1994, the former Sichuan University and the former Chengdu University of Science and Technology merged into Sichuan United University, and in 1998, it was renamed Sichuan University. CPC and state leaders including Jiang Zemin and Li Peng wrote congratulatory messages and gave their best wishes on the merger of the two universities. In 2000, Sichuan University and the former West China University of Medical Sciences merged and formed the new Sichuan University.
(2). Discipline and programs
At present, Sichuan University is a first class comprehensive research university in Western China. The University has established 31 Colleges, a College of Graduate Studies, a School of Overseas Education and two independent colleges, Jin Cheng and Jin Jiang College. These colleges cover 11 areas of study including: Humanities, Science, Medical, Economics, Management, Law, History, Philosophy, Agriculture, and Education. At Sichuan University there are 46 key disciplines at the national level, 66 key disciplines at the provincial level, 37 post-doctoral research stations, 349 Doctoral Degree disciplines, 443 Master’s Degree disciplines, 32 professional master’s programs, 133 Undergraduate disciplines, 13 specialized degree programs, 4 national key cultivated disciplines, 6 National Innovative Training Bases for Scientific Research and Curriculum Study, and a National Base for the Education of University Students in Culture and Ethics.
(3). Academic facilities and scientific research
Sichuan University has four libraries containing, in total, about 5.5 million volumes. The libraries also serve 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. The National University Scientific and Technological Projects and Achievements Consulting Center, and Center for Medical Literature Retrieval in Southwest China are served by the Sichuan University 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.
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 CNY.
Sichuan University 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.
(4). Great achievements
Since 2003, the university has been honored with 25 National Teaching Achievement Awards and 33courses have been named as National Excellent Courses. 23 doctoral dissertations have been included in the Top 100 Excellent Doctoral Dissertations.
Since 2005, the university has won 34 awards in three national major award categories for science and technology. In 2014, the research funding of the University exceeded 1.8 billion RMB, the number of papers published ranked the 7th in China, and the number of SCI papers ranked the 6th. In the field of humanities and social sciences, experts of the university compiled, edited and published several extensive collections and anthologies concerning culture, including a Chinese Dictionary, The Complete Works of Song Dynasty, A History of Chinese Taoism, and The Confucianism. Sichuan University has actively promoted both national and regional socioeconomic development, and is constantly enhancing its capacity to serve the needs of the community and the society. The University is one of the first six national technology transfer centers and was among the first four universities honored as Model Institution or Corporation of Intellectual Property Right Protection. The Science and Technology Park of Sichuan University is one of the first 15 national college science and technology trial parks approved by the state and has incubated over 50 science and technology enterprises including one publicly-listed company. In recent years, the university has established cooperative relations in production, education and research with over 5,000 corporations from more than20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities including Jiangsu, Sichuan, Tibet, and Xinjiang. In addition, the University has established about one hundred high-level university and enterprise collaboration platforms for production, education and research. It has undertaken more than 10,000 projects in technological development and technological restructuring for over 1,000 enterprises in China. A series of major scientific and technological projects have yielded leading technologies applied in related industries.
(5). Communication and international cooperation
Sichuan University has established contacts and cooperative relationships with over 216 renowned colleges and universities as well as research institutes from 32 countries and regions. It has established well-rounded joint education programs of multiple levels and forms with 209 famous universities from over 42 countries, including United States, Australia and some European countries. The university has set up the Jiuzhaigou International Research Center for Ecology, Environment and Sustainability with the University of California and the University of Washington, Sino-US Institute for University Design, with Arizona State University, Sino-German Joint Center for Energy Research, with Clausthal University of Technology, Western China Poverty-Reduction Research Center, with the State Council’s Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, State Council’s Leading Group Office of Western China Development, UNDP and the World Bank, and Sichuan Post-Disaster Reconstruction Support and Research Center, with Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The final information is subject to the University If there is any discrepancy!