History

Tsinghua University was established in Beijing in April 1911, originally with the name Tsinghua Xuetang. It was first a preparatory school for students sent by the government to study in the United States.

In 1912, the school was renamed Tsinghua School. The university section was founded in 1925 and undergraduate students were then enrolled. In 1928, its name was officially changed to National Tsinghua University. In the autumn of 1929, its graduate school was set up. The faculty greatly valued interaction between Chinese and Western cultures, sciences and humanities, the ancient and modern. Prominent scholars Wang Guowei, Liang Qichao, Chen Yinque and Zhao Yuanren, renowned as the "Four Tutors" in the Institute of Chinese Classics, advocated this interaction, which had profound impacts on Tsinghua's later development.

During World War II, Tsinghua University was forced to move to Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province and join with Peking and Nankai universities to form the Southwest Associated University.

In 1946, Tsinghua University was moved back to its original location in Beijing. In 1949, some of its professors left for Taiwan with Kuomintang authorities, where they established the National Tsinghua Institute of Nuclear Technology in 1955. It later became the National Tsinghua University of Taiwan.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Tsinghua University was molded into a polytechnic institute focusing on engineering in the nationwide restructuring of universities and colleges undertaken in 1952. The university was the national center for training engineers and scientists with both professional proficiency and personal integrity.

Since 1978, Tsinghua University has strengthened its teaching in sciences, economics, management, humanities and law. In 1999, the university opened the School of Arts and Design by merging with the Central Academy of Arts and Design.

(Source: www.tsinghua.edu.cn)

Quick Facts

Tsinghua University has 16 schools, 56 departments with faculties in science, engineering, the humanities, law, medicine, history, philosophy, economics, management, education and art. And 22 of its disciplines such as architectonics, civil engineering and mechanical engineering are among the national key disciplines.

As one of the country's leading institutions of higher learning and research, Tsinghua University has a strong commitment to basic research, applied research and scientific innovation. The total publications in SCI, EI and ISTP by Tsinghua faculties are the first ranking of all universities in China.

The university currently has more than 4,000 faculty members. There are more than 36,000 students studying at Tsinghua with about 14,000 undergraduates and more than 21,000 postgraduates. More than 2,400 students from 103 different countries study here annually.

The educational philosophy of Tsinghua is to train students with integrity. Among the more than 170,000 students who have graduated from Tsinghua since its founding are many outstanding scholars, eminent entrepreneurs and great statesmen.

With the motto Self-Discipline and Social Commitment and the spirit of actions speak louder than words, Tsinghua University is dedicated to the well-being of Chinese society and to world development.

(Source: www.tsinghua.edu.cn)