Nanjing University
Encyclopedia
Nanjing University or Nanking University, is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning in China
. Following many changes through dynasties since CE 258, it was established as a modern new-type school in 1902 in the end period of Qing Dynasty
, and became a modern university in the early 1920s, the early years of Republic of China
, and is the first Chinese
modern university with the combination of education and research. Before the eve of establishment of People's Republic of China
in 1949, the name was changed from National Central University to Nanking University.
Nanjing University is a comprehensive research university. It is a national university directly under the Ministry of Education of PRC, largely financed by China central and also local Jiangsu
provincial finance, and is a member of the C9 League
. Nanjing University has two campuses: Gulou campus, located in the centre of Nanjing City, and Xianlin campus, located in northeast of Nanjing
southern to Yangtse River, which is the home to undergraduate students.
Imperial Nanking University, the predecessor of Nanjing University, was founded in the first year of Yong'an reign (CE 258) under the Kingdom of Wu by Emperor Jing of Wu, and the first president was Wei Zhao (韋昭). The Imperial University in Nanking (南京太學, Nanking Taixue) was reestablished by Emperor Yuan of Jin
in the first year of Jianwu reign (317), 155 new rooms were built in the campus which was located in today's Fuzimiao (夫子廟) area situated on Qinhuai River
banks, and the Nanking Imperial University began recruiting students from common families instead of only from families of high ranking officials. Like its forerunner Chengjun (成均) and succeeding Shang Hsiang (上庠) founded by Yu
(禹, 21st century BCE) in Chungyuan, the earliest recorded imperial higher learning institutions and their successors, it was the Kingdom's central university.
In 470 during the Song Dynasty
of Southern Dynasties
, the Imperial Nanking University became a comprehensive institution combining higher education and research, with five divisions: Literature, History, Confucianism
, Xuan Study and Yin Yang Study. The campus of the School of Literature and School of History were located in today's Nanjing University Gulou campus, west to Gulou
(鼓樓) mountain, and the campus was moved to today's Chaotian Palace
(朝天宮) area at the time when Wang Jian
(王俭) was university president. In the period the faculty members included such scholars and scientists as Zu Chongzhi
(祖沖之), Ge Hong
(葛洪), Wang Xizhi
(王羲之), and students included such figures as Xiao Daocheng, Emperor Gao of Southern Qi
who studied in school of Confucian studies, and Zhong Rong
, a founding scholar of poetics who graduated from division of literature.
In 937 when the campus was again in Fuzimiao area, the school scholar Li Shandao established another national school outside capital city which is called Bailudong Shuyuan (White Deer Grotto Academy
), a famous academy located in Lushan that later hosted many renowned scholars including Zhu Xi
and Lu Jiuyuan
.
In 1381 Imperial Central University (國子監, Guozijian
) moved campus from Nanking Fuzimiao area to south of Qintian Mountain (欽天山), near Xuanwu Lake
. The university developed and flourished in the period, consisting of six schools: three basic level colleges, two middle level schools and one advanced level school. In 1403 Peking Guozijian (Beijing Guozijian, Imperial Peking University) was established. Yongle Encyclopedia
was completed in Nanking campus in 1408 after five years compilation, 9169 scholars selected from nationwide took part in it, thereinto 2180 were student scholars of the university of Nanking. The publishing house of Imperial Nanking University (南京國子監, Nanking Guozijian) had been a publishing centre for several hundred years. Wu Cheng'en
and Zheng Chenggong studied there during the Ming Dynasty
.
Each time when Nanking became a non-capital city, the Nanking Imperial University was changed to be regional Nanking Academy. The Imperial Nanking University was changed to Nanking Academy (江寧府學, Jiangning
Fuxue) in 1650 after Qing Dynasty
replaced Ming Dynasty
, and the academy was relocated to Chaotian Palace after Taiping Rebellion. The current school authority took the year starting to establish the modern new type school Sanjiang Normal College as the school's new founding year.
In 1902, Sanjiang Normal College under new educational system, using Japanese modern higher institutions of learning as references, was beginning to be established to replace the traditional Chinese school Nanking Academy, and was opened in the next year. The name was changed to Liangjiang Normal College in 1906, and the new president Li Ruiqing
(李瑞清) established the first faculty of modern art in China.
In 1915 after the Republic of China
replaced Qing Dynasty, the Nanking Higher Normal School (南京高等師範學校) was founded to replace Liangjiang Higher Normal School which was closed three years before due to Xinhai Revolution
, Jiang Qian
(江謙) was appointed as the president. The school established the China's first faculty of modern gymnastics (physical education
) in 1916.
The "China Science Society" (中國科學社), a major science organization in the modern history of China, founded its headquarters in the school in 1918. Its members established "Academia Sinica
" (中央研究院) which was later moved to Taiwan and known as the "Chinese Academy of Sciences
" (中国科学院) in mainland China. Numerous Chinese modern science pioneers, most of whom studied in America and some European countries such as Britain, France and Germany, converged there to found many fields of science in China. It became the Chinese cradle of modern science. Among 81 academicians of "Academia Sinica
" elected for the first time in 1948, five entered or graduated from the university in 1920. More than half of the leading Chinese scientists whose works were published in scientific journals in the early period of Chinese modern science were graduates or academics of Nanjing University.
Guo Bingwen
(郭秉文) was an influential university president, appointed in 1919 after Jiang Qian. The school meeting passed The Audit Law for Women Students (《規定女子旁聽法案》) on December 7, 1919, as result of efforts of the educationist Tao Xingzhi
(陶行知), as well as the president Guo Bingwen, and the professors including Liu Boming (劉伯明), Lu Zhiwei
(陸志韋), Yang Xingfo (楊杏佛), etc. In 1920 Nanjing Higher Normal school became the first in China to recruit coeducation
al students and enrolled eight women students.
In 1921 the National Southeastern University (國立東南大學) was founded, and in 1923 Nanking Higher Normal School was merged into it. The earliest modern scientific research laboratories and groups in China were established at the university. It integrated teaching and research, with status of university’s independence and academic freedom, and was regarded as the earliest Chinese modern university. The Faculty of Business established in 1917 was moved to Shanghai to establish the first business school
in China.
In October 1921, "Hsuehheng Society" (or Xueheng Society, 學衡社) was founded in the university which was the focus of the "Hsuehheng School" included the scholars Liu Yizheng
(柳詒徵), Liu Boming (劉伯明), Mei Guangdi (梅光迪), Wu Mi (吳宓) and Hu Xianxiao (胡先驌). They reinvigorated Confucian culture and published the monthly "Critical Review" (Xueheng, 學衡 in Chinese) in January 1922. It enabled Nanjing University to become a center of Confucian thought and humanism
. During this period, Nanjing University was known as the foremost "Oriental Education Centre" and recognized as an academic and cultural exchange centre for east and west. Many scholars visited and instructed there, including the American educationist Paul Monroe
, W. H. Kilpatrick, E. L. Thorndike, philosopher John Dewey
, British philosopher Bertrand Russell
, German philosopher Hans Driesch and the India
n (also Bengal
i) poet Rabindranath Tagore
.
The Chinese Association of Natural Science (中華自然科學社) was founded at the university in 1927. In August 1928 the school became National Central University (國立中央大學). During the Anti-Japanese War between 1937 and 1945, the university moved to Chongqing
. The Natural Science Forum was founded by the university faculties in 1939 and then they founded the China Association of Scientific Workers (中國科學工作者協會) in 1944. In 1958 the associations were merged to be the China Association for Science and Technology
(中國科學技術協會) in Beijing. The Natural Science Forum was renamed Sept. 3rd Forum and later again renamed Sept. 3rd Society in 1945. The Sept. 3rd Society, or called Jiusan Society, is a China organization for intellectual groups.
In 1949, during the Chinese Civil War
, the central government of the Republic of China
retreated from Nanjing
and the National Central University was renamed National Nanjing University (國立南京大學) before the establishment of People's Republic of China. In 1952, many departments and colleges of former Nanjing University formed independent colleges and universities, and Nanjing University site became the campus of one of them, Nanking Institute of Technology which later renamed Southeast University
, and at the same time University of Nanking
(金陵大學), a private university established in 1888 and sponsored by American churches, was merged into Nanjing University (南京大學), which lost its "national" appellation to reflect the reality that all universities in the PRC would be public. Nanjing University moved campus to the site of University of Nanking where was also once site of imperial Nanjing University in ancient times. A separate National Central University
was reinstated in Taiwan
by its old alumni association in 1962.
In 1976, the faculty members and students of the university launched Nanjing Anti Cultural Revolution
Force Movement which was called "Nanjing Incident" by the authorities of the time, spreading countrywide. In 1978, Hu Fuming, a faculty member of the Philosophy Department of Nanjing University, wrote the historic article entitled "Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth", and after being published it led to the nationwide "Debate on Standards for Judging the Truth
", and thus liberated thought and promoted the ending of Cultural Revolution
and the coming of reform era.
Many faculties, departments, institutes and schools have been re-founded or initially founded since 1978. In 2009, Xianlin Campus was opened, replacing Pukou Campus which was put into use in 1993, and Pukou Campus became the campus of Jinling College which was founded by Nanjing University. The Xianlin Campus is a main campus along with Gulou Compus.
Nanjing University mainly has two campuses - Gulou and Xianlin, and there's another campus, Pukou. The distance between Gulou and Xianlin campus is about 18 kilometre.
Gulou Campus is located in Gulou District, at the center of Nanjing City. The main campus itself is divided into two sections by Hankou Road: North Garden, Bei Yuan, is where most of teaching and research take place, and South Garden, Nan Yuan, serves as the living area for both students and academic staff.
Pukou Campus is situated in the suburban Pukou District and became part of Nanjing University in 1993. Once Pukou Campus hosted undergraduate freshmen, sophomore and junior students. In 2009, the Pukou campus became the campus of the independent Jinling College, which was founded by Nanjing University.
Xianlin Campus is located in northeast of Nanjing, in the Xianlin Universities Town, southern to Yangtse River and Qixia Mountain
, eastern to Purple Mountain, and western to Baohua Mountain. The campus is the home to undergraduate students. It was opened in September, 2009. There is the stop of Nanjing University Xianlin Campus on the Line 2 of Nanjing Subway, which enables Xianlin and Gulou campus be connected through subway.
ranked Nanjing University 177th overall in the world. Its individual subject rankings were: 140th in Arts and Humanities, 147th in Engineering and IT, 123rd in Life Sciences and Biomedicine, 107th in Natural Sciences, and 150th in Social Sciences.
Nanjing University Herbarium (N) was founded in 1902, it is the first modern herbarium in China. It is located in the Tianjiabing Building.
Western literature
Nanjing University established the first department of Western literature among Chinese universities, in 1921. Two years later the department was merged with English department and other faculties including French and German and renamed department of foreign languages and literature, later known as school of foreign studies. China Association for the Study of American Literature (CASAL) is located in Nanjing University.
Overseas students
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Following many changes through dynasties since CE 258, it was established as a modern new-type school in 1902 in the end period of Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, and became a modern university in the early 1920s, the early years of Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
, and is the first Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
modern university with the combination of education and research. Before the eve of establishment of People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , 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...
in 1949, the name was changed from National Central University to Nanking University.
Nanjing University is a comprehensive research university. It is a national university directly under the Ministry of Education of PRC, largely financed by China central and also local Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
provincial finance, and is a member of the C9 League
C9 League
The C9 League is an association of nine Chinese universities, which were selected by the Chinese government in 1998.On May 4, 1998, Project 985 was initiated by the Chinese government in order to advance the higher education system. In the first phase, nine universities were selected and allocated...
. Nanjing University has two campuses: Gulou campus, located in the centre of Nanjing City, and Xianlin campus, located in northeast of Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
southern to Yangtse River, which is the home to undergraduate students.
Early establishments
Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin , personal name Sima Rui , courtesy name Jingwen , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the first of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
in the first year of Jianwu reign (317), 155 new rooms were built in the campus which was located in today's Fuzimiao (夫子廟) area situated on Qinhuai River
Qinhuai River
-Brief Introductions:The Qinhuai River is the biggest river in Nanjing. It's also the birthplace of the age-old Nanjing culture. As such, it's called "Nanjing's mother river". It is the "life blood" of the city. Qinhuai River is so fascinating that it captures the imaginations of people both at...
banks, and the Nanking Imperial University began recruiting students from common families instead of only from families of high ranking officials. Like its forerunner Chengjun (成均) and succeeding Shang Hsiang (上庠) founded by Yu
Yu the Great
Yu the Great , was a legendary ruler of Ancient China famed for his introduction of flood control, inaugurating dynastic rule in China by founding the Xia Dynasty, and for his upright moral character....
(禹, 21st century BCE) in Chungyuan, the earliest recorded imperial higher learning institutions and their successors, it was the Kingdom's central university.
In 470 during the Song Dynasty
Liu Song Dynasty
The Liu Song Dynasty , also known as Song Dynasty , Former Song , or Southern Song , was first of the four Southern Dynasties in China, succeeding the Eastern Jin Dynasty and followed by the Southern Qi Dynasty....
of Southern Dynasties
Southern dynasties
The Southern dynasties comprise the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty, whose capital were at Jiankang , and Emperor Yuan of Liang, as well as the later Western Liang emperors , also set their...
, the Imperial Nanking University became a comprehensive institution combining higher education and research, with five divisions: Literature, History, Confucianism
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
, Xuan Study and Yin Yang Study. The campus of the School of Literature and School of History were located in today's Nanjing University Gulou campus, west to Gulou
Gulou
Gulou may refer to any of the Drum Towers, traditionally located in the center of Chinese cities. Central districts of several Chinese cities are named after the drum towers:*Gulou District, Fuzhou, Fujian*Gulou District, Kaifeng, Henan...
(鼓樓) mountain, and the campus was moved to today's Chaotian Palace
Chaotian Palace
The Chaotian Palace , is located in Nanjing, China. It was built as an imperial palace in the Ming Dynasty, and today it is the Nanjing Municipal Museum. The palace covers an area of more than 70,000 square meters...
(朝天宮) area at the time when Wang Jian
Wang Jian (Southern Qi)
Wang Jian , courtesy name Zhongbao , formally Duke Wenxian of Nanchang , was an official of the Chinese dynasties Liu Song and Southern Qi, who was particularly powerful during the reigns of the first two emperors of Southern Qi, Emperor Gao and Emperor Wu .-Family background:Wang Jian came from...
(王俭) was university president. In the period the faculty members included such scholars and scientists as Zu Chongzhi
Zu Chongzhi
Zu Chongzhi , courtesy name Wenyuan , was a prominent Chinese mathematician and astronomer during the Liu Song and Southern Qi Dynasties.-Life and works:...
(祖沖之), Ge Hong
Ge Hong
Ge Hong , courtesy name Zhichuan , was a minor southern official during the Jìn Dynasty of China, best known for his interest in Daoism, alchemy, and techniques of longevity...
(葛洪), Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi was a Chinese calligrapher, traditionally referred to as the Sage of Calligraphy , who lived during the Jin Dynasty...
(王羲之), and students included such figures as Xiao Daocheng, Emperor Gao of Southern Qi
Emperor Gao of Southern Qi
Emperor Gao of Southern Qi , personal name Xiao Daocheng , courtesy name Shaobo , nickname Doujiang , was the founding emperor of the Chinese dynasty Southern Qi...
who studied in school of Confucian studies, and Zhong Rong
Zhong Rong
Zhong Rong , a founding scholar of poetics. His representative work was Shi Pin . He founded historical critical method.-External links:...
, a founding scholar of poetics who graduated from division of literature.
In 937 when the campus was again in Fuzimiao area, the school scholar Li Shandao established another national school outside capital city which is called Bailudong Shuyuan (White Deer Grotto Academy
White Deer Grotto Academy
The White Deer Grotto Academy was located at the foot of Wulou Peak in Lushan, now in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province. It was one of the Four Great Academies of China.- History :...
), a famous academy located in Lushan that later hosted many renowned scholars including Zhu Xi
Zhu Xi
Zhū Xī or Chu Hsi was a Song Dynasty Confucian scholar who became the leading figure of the School of Principle and the most influential rationalist Neo-Confucian in China...
and Lu Jiuyuan
Lu Jiuyuan
thumb|200px|Lu JiuyuanLu Jiuyuan was a Chinese scholar and philosopher who founded the school of the universal mind, the second most influential Neo-Confucian school...
.
In 1381 Imperial Central University (國子監, Guozijian
Guozijian
The Guozijian , or Kuo Tzu Chien, the School of the Sons of State, sometimes called the Imperial Academy, Imperial College, Imperial Central School, was the national central institute of learning in Chinese dynasties after the Sui. It was the highest institute of learning in China's traditional...
) moved campus from Nanking Fuzimiao area to south of Qintian Mountain (欽天山), near Xuanwu Lake
Xuanwu Lake
Xuanwu Lake is a lake in the central-northeast part of Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, near Nanjing Railway Station and Ji Ming Temple. The Ming city wall borders the park to its south and east and there is a notable pagoda and the Zifeng Tower overlooking the lake.The lake covers 444 hectares and is 15...
. The university developed and flourished in the period, consisting of six schools: three basic level colleges, two middle level schools and one advanced level school. In 1403 Peking Guozijian (Beijing Guozijian, Imperial Peking University) was established. Yongle Encyclopedia
Yongle Encyclopedia
The Yongle Encyclopedia was a Chinese compilation of information commissioned by the Chinese Ming Dynasty emperor Yongle in 1403 and completed by 1408...
was completed in Nanking campus in 1408 after five years compilation, 9169 scholars selected from nationwide took part in it, thereinto 2180 were student scholars of the university of Nanking. The publishing house of Imperial Nanking University (南京國子監, Nanking Guozijian) had been a publishing centre for several hundred years. Wu Cheng'en
Wu Cheng'en
Wu Cheng'en , courtesy name Ruzhong , pen name "Sheyang Hermit," was a Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty, best known for being the attributed author of one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West.-Biography:Wu was born in Lianshui, in Jiangsu...
and Zheng Chenggong studied there during the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
.
Each time when Nanking became a non-capital city, the Nanking Imperial University was changed to be regional Nanking Academy. The Imperial Nanking University was changed to Nanking Academy (江寧府學, Jiangning
Jiangning
Jiangning may refer to:*Jiankang, ancient city in China, in today's Nanjing area, also named Jiangning*Nanjing, which was officially called Jiangning during the Qing Dynasty, Northern Song Dynasty, and earlier and later periods of Tang Dynasty....
Fuxue) in 1650 after Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
replaced Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, and the academy was relocated to Chaotian Palace after Taiping Rebellion. The current school authority took the year starting to establish the modern new type school Sanjiang Normal College as the school's new founding year.
Modern Periods
Li Ruiqing
Li Ruiqing was a Chinese artist, calligrapher and educator. He was a pioneering influential educator in China's modern history, the founder of China's modern art education....
(李瑞清) established the first faculty of modern art in China.
In 1915 after the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
replaced Qing Dynasty, the Nanking Higher Normal School (南京高等師範學校) was founded to replace Liangjiang Higher Normal School which was closed three years before due to Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
, Jiang Qian
Jiang Qian
Jiang Qian , scholar, educator. Chinese modern pioneering and influential educator.-Biography:...
(江謙) was appointed as the president. The school established the China's first faculty of modern gymnastics (physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
) in 1916.
The "China Science Society" (中國科學社), a major science organization in the modern history of China, founded its headquarters in the school in 1918. Its members established "Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica
The Academia Sinica , headquartered in the Nangang District of Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. It supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from mathematical and physical sciences, to life sciences, and to humanities and social sciences.Academia Sinica has...
" (中央研究院) which was later moved to Taiwan and known as the "Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The 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...
" (中国科学院) in mainland China. Numerous Chinese modern science pioneers, most of whom studied in America and some European countries such as Britain, France and Germany, converged there to found many fields of science in China. It became the Chinese cradle of modern science. Among 81 academicians of "Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica
The Academia Sinica , headquartered in the Nangang District of Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. It supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from mathematical and physical sciences, to life sciences, and to humanities and social sciences.Academia Sinica has...
" elected for the first time in 1948, five entered or graduated from the university in 1920. More than half of the leading Chinese scientists whose works were published in scientific journals in the early period of Chinese modern science were graduates or academics of Nanjing University.
Guo Bingwen
Guo Bingwen
Kuo Ping-Wen ,1880–1969, an influential Chinese educator, is considered as a founder of the modern Chinese university. He was born in Shanghai, Jiangsu province, and his father was an elder in the Presbyterian Church...
(郭秉文) was an influential university president, appointed in 1919 after Jiang Qian. The school meeting passed The Audit Law for Women Students (《規定女子旁聽法案》) on December 7, 1919, as result of efforts of the educationist Tao Xingzhi
Tao Xingzhi
Tao Xingzhi , was a renowned 20th century Chinese educator and reformer. He studied at Teachers College, Columbia University and returned to China to champion progressive education. His career in China as a liberal educator was not derivative of John Dewey, as some have alleged, but creative and...
(陶行知), as well as the president Guo Bingwen, and the professors including Liu Boming (劉伯明), Lu Zhiwei
Lu Zhiwei
Lu Zhiwei was a famous Chinese psychologist and linguist from Wuxing, Zhejiang.Lu went abroad to the United States to study during 1915. In 1920, he graduated from the Columbia University Psychology with the doctoral paper "Forgotten Condition". Lu returned to China that year and was hired in...
(陸志韋), Yang Xingfo (楊杏佛), etc. In 1920 Nanjing Higher Normal school became the first in China to recruit coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al students and enrolled eight women students.
In 1921 the National Southeastern University (國立東南大學) was founded, and in 1923 Nanking Higher Normal School was merged into it. The earliest modern scientific research laboratories and groups in China were established at the university. It integrated teaching and research, with status of university’s independence and academic freedom, and was regarded as the earliest Chinese modern university. The Faculty of Business established in 1917 was moved to Shanghai to establish the first business school
Business school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
in China.
In October 1921, "Hsuehheng Society" (or Xueheng Society, 學衡社) was founded in the university which was the focus of the "Hsuehheng School" included the scholars Liu Yizheng
Liu Yizheng
Liu Yizheng is a famous Chinese modern historian.Liu Yizheng finished several first Chinese history books in modern times including history books of education, commerce and culture. Chinese Culture History and Be-all and End-all of National History are the most important of his works....
(柳詒徵), Liu Boming (劉伯明), Mei Guangdi (梅光迪), Wu Mi (吳宓) and Hu Xianxiao (胡先驌). They reinvigorated Confucian culture and published the monthly "Critical Review" (Xueheng, 學衡 in Chinese) in January 1922. It enabled Nanjing University to become a center of Confucian thought and humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
. During this period, Nanjing University was known as the foremost "Oriental Education Centre" and recognized as an academic and cultural exchange centre for east and west. Many scholars visited and instructed there, including the American educationist Paul Monroe
Paul Monroe
-Biography:He was born at North Madison, Indiana. He graduated at Franklin College, Franklin, Indiana in 1890, studied at the University of Heidelberg and took his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1897. He became professor at Columbia in 1899, his research involving education in its...
, W. H. Kilpatrick, E. L. Thorndike, philosopher John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
, British philosopher Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
, German philosopher Hans Driesch and the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n (also Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
i) poet Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
.
The Chinese Association of Natural Science (中華自然科學社) was founded at the university in 1927. In August 1928 the school became National Central University (國立中央大學). During the Anti-Japanese War between 1937 and 1945, the university moved to Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
. The Natural Science Forum was founded by the university faculties in 1939 and then they founded the China Association of Scientific Workers (中國科學工作者協會) in 1944. In 1958 the associations were merged to be the China Association for Science and Technology
China Association for Science and Technology
The China Association for Science and Technology is a non-profit, non-governmental organization of Chinese scientists and engineers, which is composed of 167 national professional societies and hundreds of local branches at various levels....
(中國科學技術協會) in Beijing. The Natural Science Forum was renamed Sept. 3rd Forum and later again renamed Sept. 3rd Society in 1945. The Sept. 3rd Society, or called Jiusan Society, is a China organization for intellectual groups.
In 1949, during the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, the central government of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
retreated from Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
and the National Central University was renamed National Nanjing University (國立南京大學) before the establishment of People's Republic of China. In 1952, many departments and colleges of former Nanjing University formed independent colleges and universities, and Nanjing University site became the campus of one of them, Nanking Institute of Technology which later renamed Southeast University
Southeast University
Southeast University , colloquially Dongda is a public, coeducational research university located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China....
, and at the same time University of Nanking
University of Nanking
The University of Nanking was a private university in Nanjing, China. The University of Nanking was founded in 1888 and sponsored by American churches...
(金陵大學), a private university established in 1888 and sponsored by American churches, was merged into Nanjing University (南京大學), which lost its "national" appellation to reflect the reality that all universities in the PRC would be public. Nanjing University moved campus to the site of University of Nanking where was also once site of imperial Nanjing University in ancient times. A separate National Central University
National Central University
National Central University is a national comprehensive university in Taiwan .National Central University was founded in 1915 and originated in 258 CE at Nanjing, China. After NCU in Nanjing was renamed Nanjing University in 1949, NCU was re-established in Taiwan in 1962...
was reinstated in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
by its old alumni association in 1962.
In 1976, the faculty members and students of the university launched Nanjing Anti Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
Force Movement which was called "Nanjing Incident" by the authorities of the time, spreading countrywide. In 1978, Hu Fuming, a faculty member of the Philosophy Department of Nanjing University, wrote the historic article entitled "Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth", and after being published it led to the nationwide "Debate on Standards for Judging the Truth
Debate on Standards for Judging the Truth
The Debate on Standards for Judging the Truth was the debate breaking out in 1978 between the principle "Two Whatevers " and the standard that "Practice is the Sole Criterion for Testing Truth" related to completely ending Cultural Revolution and the cult of the individual and liberating thought...
", and thus liberated thought and promoted the ending of Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
and the coming of reform era.
Many faculties, departments, institutes and schools have been re-founded or initially founded since 1978. In 2009, Xianlin Campus was opened, replacing Pukou Campus which was put into use in 1993, and Pukou Campus became the campus of Jinling College which was founded by Nanjing University. The Xianlin Campus is a main campus along with Gulou Compus.
Faculties
Schools and Departments
- School of Liberal Arts
- Chinese Language and Linguistics; Literature; Philology; Drama, Film and TV Arts
- Department of History
- Department of Philosophy; Religion
- School of Foreign Studies
- English; French; German; Spanish; Japanese; Russian; International Business
- School of Government Administration
- Politics; Government Administration; Labor, Personnel and Social Security
- School of Law
- School of Social and Behavioral sciences
- Sociology; Social Work and Social Policy; Psychology
- School of BusinessNanjing University Business SchoolNanjing University Business School is the school of business of Nanjing University, which founded the first professional Chinese business school...
(NUBS)- School of Management: Business Administration; Human Resource; Accounting; Marketing; Electronic Commerce
- School of Economics: Economics; International Economics & Trading; Industrial Economics; Finance
- Department of Information Management
- School of Journalism and Communication
- Department of Mathematics
- School of Physics
- Physics; Modern Physics; Photoelectricity Science; Acoustic Science and Engineering
- School of Astronomy and Space Science
- Astronomy; Space Science
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry; Chemical Engineering; Polymer Material
- Department of Material Science and Technology
- School of Geoscience
- School of Atmosphere Science: Meteorology; Atmosphere Physics
- School of Earth Science and Engineering: Earth Science; Water Science; Geology Engineering and Information Technology
- School of Geography and Ocean Science: Land, Natural Resources and Tourism; Earth Information Science; Coast and Ocean Science
- School of Life Sciences
- Biology; Biochemistry
- School of MedicineNanjing University Medical SchoolNanjing University Medical School , the Medical School of Nanjing University, is one of the major practical and professional schools of Nanjing University...
- Clinical Medicine; Dentistry; Basic Medical Science; Laboratory Medicine
- School of Environment
- School of Architecture and Planning
- Architecture; Urban Planning and Design
- School of Electronics Science and Engineering
- Electronic Engineering; Micro-electronics and Optoelectronics; Informational Electronics; Communication Engineering
- Department of Computer Science and Technology; Software Institute
- School of Modern Engineering and Applied Sciences (School of Engineering)
- Department of Education
- Institute for Gymnastics
- Center for Arts (Music, Dance, Drama, Fine Arts, Film, TV, Literature)
- Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Science
- School for Basic Sciences Education
- International School
- School for Overseas Students Education
- Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies (Hopkins-Nanjing CenterHopkins-Nanjing CenterThe Hopkins-Nanjing Center , an international campus of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, is a joint educational venture between Johns Hopkins University and Nanjing University that opened in Nanjing, China in 1986...
) - Other research and education institutes in areas such as African Studies, Judaic Studies, International Affairs, Anthropology, Agriculture, Space Science, Engineering Management, etc.
Campus
Nanjing University mainly has two campuses - Gulou and Xianlin, and there's another campus, Pukou. The distance between Gulou and Xianlin campus is about 18 kilometre.
Gulou Campus is located in Gulou District, at the center of Nanjing City. The main campus itself is divided into two sections by Hankou Road: North Garden, Bei Yuan, is where most of teaching and research take place, and South Garden, Nan Yuan, serves as the living area for both students and academic staff.
Pukou Campus is situated in the suburban Pukou District and became part of Nanjing University in 1993. Once Pukou Campus hosted undergraduate freshmen, sophomore and junior students. In 2009, the Pukou campus became the campus of the independent Jinling College, which was founded by Nanjing University.
Xianlin Campus is located in northeast of Nanjing, in the Xianlin Universities Town, southern to Yangtse River and Qixia Mountain
Qixia Mountain
Qixia Mountain is a mountain in the northeast part of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.In the Southern Dynasties, there was a Qixia cottage in the mountain, so the mountain’s name Qixia derived from it...
, eastern to Purple Mountain, and western to Baohua Mountain. The campus is the home to undergraduate students. It was opened in September, 2009. There is the stop of Nanjing University Xianlin Campus on the Line 2 of Nanjing Subway, which enables Xianlin and Gulou campus be connected through subway.
Rankings
In 2010 QS World University RankingsQS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....
ranked Nanjing University 177th overall in the world. Its individual subject rankings were: 140th in Arts and Humanities, 147th in Engineering and IT, 123rd in Life Sciences and Biomedicine, 107th in Natural Sciences, and 150th in Social Sciences.
Others
HerbariumNanjing University Herbarium (N) was founded in 1902, it is the first modern herbarium in China. It is located in the Tianjiabing Building.
Western literature
Nanjing University established the first department of Western literature among Chinese universities, in 1921. Two years later the department was merged with English department and other faculties including French and German and renamed department of foreign languages and literature, later known as school of foreign studies. China Association for the Study of American Literature (CASAL) is located in Nanjing University.
Overseas students
- In 2009 there are 2000 more students from abroad, with the largest number of students from United States of America among universities in China.
Notable alumni
- Of 53 first-time elected members of Academia SinicaAcademia SinicaThe Academia Sinica , headquartered in the Nangang District of Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. It supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from mathematical and physical sciences, to life sciences, and to humanities and social sciences.Academia Sinica has...
in natural science (including mathematics), 28 were Nanjing University faculty members or graduates. - All four founding scientific leaders (president or vice president in natural science) of Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese 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...
taught or studied at Nanjing University. - Nanjing University faculty members also included scholars from abroad such as Matsumoto Kouzirou, Hans Driesch, Charles W. WoodworthCharles W. WoodworthCharles W. Woodworth was an American entomologist. He founded the Entomology Department at the University of California, Berkeley, and made many valuable contributions to entomology during his career....
and Pearl Buck. - In recent years Nanjing University is in third place in the number of academicians of Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese 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 EngineeringChinese 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...
among faculty members, behind Peking UniversityPeking UniversityPeking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
and Tsinghua UniversityTsinghua UniversityTsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
. - In sciences, there are 877 leading scientists with major contributions to modern sciences in China, as listed in an article on history of Chinese modern sciences by Li Peishan published on CAS journal, and among them 115 are graduates of Nanjing University during R.O.C. in mainland period, ranking No.1.
- Among 1107 members of Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese 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...
elected till 2007, 210 are Nanjing University people. - Among 30 First Class Prizes of National Natural Science Awards since 1956, which is the highest prize in natural science in China, 6 major winners (sole or first listed winner) studied at Nanjing University: Liu DongshengLiu DongshengLiu Dongsheng is a prominent Chinese geologist and archaeologist.Liu was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980, and a member of the Third World Academy of Sciences in 1991. In 2002, he was the recipient of Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement...
(劉東生), Wang Debao (王德寶), Qin Renchang (秦仁昌), Feng KangFeng KangFeng Kang was a Chinese mathematician and scientist.He was born in Nanjing, China and spent his childhood in Suzhou, Jiangsu. He studied at Suzhou Middle School...
(馮康), Hou Xianguang (侯先光), Min Naiben (閔乃本); in addition, another 2 were faculty members: Li SiguangLi SiguangLi Siguang , is the founder of China's geomechanics. According to his daughter, he was a Mongol in China. He made outstanding contributions to changing the situation of "oil deficiency" in the country, enabling the large-scale development of oil fields to raise the country to the ranks of the...
(李四光), Qian Chongshu (錢崇澍); and Nanda people were in the list of winners of about half of the prizes. - A statistic in 2006 indicated that among about 120 directors (or presidents) of institutes of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 are graduates of Nanjing University, ranking No. 1, while the number of the university (Peking University) ranking No.2 is 10, and a recent statistic in 2010 shows that 14 holds bachelor‘s from Nanda which is the double of the number of the university (Beida) which ranks No.2.
- Among winners of the National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars from 1994 to 2008, 108 are graduates of Nanda, ranking No. 1, 96 are of Beida, 76 are of University of Science and Technology of ChinaUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaThe University of Science and Technology of China is a national research university in Hefei, People's Republic of China. It is a member of the C9 League formed by nine top universities in China...
, and 64 are of Tsinghua UniversityTsinghua UniversityTsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
which is listed in top 4. - Among 78 winners of Prizes for Young Scientists of China since 1992, 5 are Nanda graduates, both Beida and Tsinghua graduates are 4, consisting of top 3 rankings.
- Wu YouxunWu YouxunWu Youxun or Y. H. Woo was a physical scientist. He had the courtesy name of Zhèngzhī .- Biography :Wu graduated from the Department of Physics of Nanjing Higher Normal School , and was later associated with the Department of Physics at Tsinghua University...
(吳有訓), a leader of Chinese modern physical science and the physical scientist who verified Compton effect (X-ray diffraction); - Chung-Yao ChaoChung-Yao ChaoChung-Yao Chao was a Chinese physicist. Chung-Yao Chao studied the scattering of gamma rays in lead by pair production in 1930, without knowing that positrons were involved in the anomalously high scattering cross-section...
(趙忠堯), the scientist that captured positron through electron-positron annihilation and tested the existence of antimatter; - Chien-Shiung WuChien-Shiung WuChien-Shiung Wu was a Chinese-American physicist with expertise in the techniques of experimental physics and radioactivity. Wu worked on the Manhattan Project...
(吳健雄), "First Lady of Physics", the first Wolf Prize winner in physics; - Chiang YeeChiang YeeChiang Yee , self-styled as "The Silent Traveller", was a Chinese poet, author, painter and calligrapher.-1903-1933: China:Chiang Yee was born in Jiujiang, China, on a day variously recorded as May 19 or June 14...
(蔣彝), litterateur, artist, the "Silent Traveller"; - Tang JunyiTang JunyiTang Junyi was a Chinese philosopher, who was one of the leading exponents of New Confucianism. He was influenced by Plato and Hegel as well as by earlier Confucian thought....
(唐君毅), philosopher and modern Confucian scholar; - Chen Chung-hwanChen Chung-hwanChen Chung-hwan , was a philosopher, scholar in ancient greek philosophy and western philosophy....
(陳忠寰), a scholar in ancient Greek philosophy and western philosophy; - Xu Boyuan (徐柏園), the founder of the Chinese central bank system;
- Wang Zhixin (王志莘), the first General Manager of former Shanghai Stock Exchange;
- Kwoh-Ting LiKwoh-Ting LiKwoh-Ting Li was a Chinese economist and politician best known as the "Father of Taiwan's Economic Miracle" for his work in transforming Taiwan's economy from an agrarian-based system into one of the world's leading producers of information and telecommunications technology...
(李國鼎), "Father of Taiwan's Economic Miracle"; - Luo Fuxin (羅福鑫), the first blind college student in China;
- Chang ChehChang ChehChang Cheh was Shaw Brothers Studio's best known and most prolific film director, with such films as the Five Venoms, the Brave Archer , the The One-Armed Swordsman, and other classics of wuxia and kung fu film.-Career:Referred to as "The Godfather of Hong Kong cinema", Chang Cheh directed over 100...
(張徹), "Father of New Gongfu Film", "Godfather of Hong Kong cinema"; - H. T.Loh (陸孝同), a leader of American Apollo program and Mars Exploration program;
- Zeng LiansongZeng LiansongZeng Liansong was the designer of the Flag of the People's Republic of China. He was from Ruian, Zhejiang province.He entered the economics department at the National Central University in 1936 . During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he participated in confrontation against Japanese forces...
(曾聯松), the designer of the Flag of the People's Republic of China; - Zhu GuangyaZhu GuangyaZhu Guangya was a renowned Chinese nuclear physicist, and an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences...
(朱光亞), the first president of Chinese Academy of Engineering; - Yuan-Cheng FungYuan-Cheng FungYuan-Cheng "Bert" Fung is a scientist regarded as a founding figure of bioengineering, tissue engineering, and the "Founder of Modern Biomechanics".-Biography:Fung was born in Jiangsu Province, China in 1919...
(馮元楨), the founder of biomechanics; - Feng KangFeng KangFeng Kang was a Chinese mathematician and scientist.He was born in Nanjing, China and spent his childhood in Suzhou, Jiangsu. He studied at Suzhou Middle School...
(馮康), mathematician and founder of finite element algorithm; - Chen Deliang (陳德亮), climatologist and Executive Director of International Council for Science.
See also
- List of Nanjing University people
- Nanjing University alumni
- Nanjing University faculty
- Nanjing University Presidents
Related
- Middle School Affiliated to Nanjing UniversityMiddle School Affiliated to Nanjing UniversityThe Middle School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University was founded in 1902 and it changed from the Middle School Affiliated to Nanjing University to the Middle School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal College in 1952 when...
- Middle School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University
- National Central UniversityNational Central UniversityNational Central University is a national comprehensive university in Taiwan .National Central University was founded in 1915 and originated in 258 CE at Nanjing, China. After NCU in Nanjing was renamed Nanjing University in 1949, NCU was re-established in Taiwan in 1962...