Brief Introduction
Xiamen University, colloquially known as Xia Da, located in Xiamen, Fujian province, is the first university in China founded by overseas Chinese. Established by Mr. Tan Kah Kee in 1921, the university was originally known as the Xiamen University. The school motto is "Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection. The university is one of many comprehensive universities directly administered by the Chinese Ministry of Education. In 1995 it was included in the list of the 211 Project for the state key construction; in 2000 it became one of China's higher-level universities designated for the state key construction of the 985 Project.
According to University Undergraduates Teaching Assessment and Chinese Universities Evaluation Standings, the university is ranked 11th in China and has maintained the top 20 ranking in China, among which 6 subjects reach A++ level, including economics and management, fine art, law, chemistry, journalism, communication and mathematics. In addition, the school of management is accredited by EQUIS and AMBA.
(1). History
In 1919 Mr. Tan Kah Kee, the well-known overseas Chinese leader, donated millions of dollars to establish and endow the Xiamen University, officially founded in 1921. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious and selective universities in China.
Mr. Tan handed over the Xiamen University to the government in 1937 due to lack of funds, and the institution subsequently became a national university.
In 1938, at the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the university temporary relocated to Changting in Ban Sai county, western Fujian.
At the end of World War II in 1946, the Xiamen University moved back to Amoy (Xiamen) and resumed normal operations.
In 1952, the Xiamen University became a comprehensive university, and has been designated as a national key university since 1962.
Then, in 1952 it became a comprehensive university embracing both arts and science. In 1963, it was designated as a state key university. In 1995, it was included in the list of the "211 Project" for the state key construction; in 2000, it became one of China's higher-level universities designated for the state key construction of the "985 Project".
Xiamen University has long been considered to be a "diplomatic cradle" where many children of Chinese and foreign dignitaries go for their higher level education. Although the actual reason for the high concentration of diplomatic children is unknown, it is rumored that the reason is due to the abundance of foreign national professors as well as its proximity to southern Asian countries in case of national emergencies. Various wealthy Hong Kong families also seem to like Xiamen University as a reputable place for their children.
(2). Discipline and programs
As of March 2016. nine subjects of the school rank into global ESI top 1%, with five first class national key disciplines and 9 second grade national key disciplines, covering 38 second class national key disciplines, 46 Fujian provincial key first-class disciplines, nine national basic science personnel training base. Xiamen University offers 31 primary-discipline doctoral programs, and 50 primary-discipline master’s programs, 83 secondary-discipline undergraduate programs, 276 secondary-discipline graduate programs, and 187 secondary-discipline PhD programs.
(3). Academic facilities and Scientific research
Xiamen University has a constructed area of 1.4 million square meters and its libraries hold 4.48 million volumes (including 39,204 gigabytes electronic volumes). The scope and level of its high-speed information network on campus is rated at the top of all universities in China and has become the one of the main injunctions of CERNET2.
From 2006 to 2010, over 700 research projects at Xiamen University have been funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. 16 research reports were published in international top journals such as Science, Nature, the Lancet, etc. Southeast Asian studies, Taiwan studies, Higher Education research, economic studies, and accounting studies are highly ranked programs in China.
(4). Great achievements
The research in natural science advances considerably. From 2006 to 2010, over 700 research projects at Xiamen University have been funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.16 research reports were published in international top journals such as Science, Nature, the Lancet, etc. 2 scientific research findings won the Second Prize of National Natural Science Award and 1 National Technology Invention Award. Xiamen University has strong potentiality in human and social science research. Southeast Asian studies, Taiwan studies, Higher Education research, economic studies, and accounting studies are highly ranked programs in China. 131 research projects have been funded by the National Social Science Foundation, among which 11 are major project. 157 Humanities and Social Sciences projects have been funded by Ministry of Education, among which 4 key projects, ranking high on the list of project number in China. In the fourth and fifth Award for Outstanding Achievements in Social Science accredited by the Ministry of Education, 19 and 14 achievements were awarded respectively.
(5). Communication and international cooperation
Xiamen University has inter-university cooperative ties with over 270 institutions of higher education at home and abroad. Xiamen University vigorously promotes the campaign of teaching Chinese as a foreign language. The university has co-established 15 Confucius Institutes with universities in North America, Europe, Africa, etc. Because of its especially favorable geographical location and advantageous human resources, it is the key university most actively engaged in cross-straits educational, scientific and cultural exchanges.
The final information is subject to the University If there is any discrepancy!