Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, (simplified Chinese: 仲恺农业工程学院; traditional Chinese: 仲恺农业工程学院; pinyin: Zhòng kăi nóng yè gōng chéng xué yuàn), is a university located in Guangzhou

Guangzhou

Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

, China that specializes in training agricultural technicians. The University is named for Liao Zhongkai

Liao Zhongkai

Liao Zhongkai , Kuomintang leader and financier. Liao Zhongkai was the principal architect of the first Kuomintang-Chinese Communist Party United Front in the 1920s....

, a leading figure in the founding of modern China and a close associate of Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...

. The university consists of 3 campuses (Haizhu Campus, Baiyun Campus, and an experimental farm) with a total area of 1,114.7 square kilometers. Founded in 1927, Zhongkai University is one of Guangzhou’s oldest institutions of higher education.

History

As Zhongkai Agricultural and Industrial School, the university was founded in 1927 in honor of Liao Zhongkai

Liao Zhongkai

Liao Zhongkai , Kuomintang leader and financier. Liao Zhongkai was the principal architect of the first Kuomintang-Chinese Communist Party United Front in the 1920s....

, a close associate of Sun Yat-Sen and a leader in the founding of the Republic of China. He Xiangning, widow of Liao and herself a noted figure in Chinese revolutionary history, served as the first University President for 15 years. The university’s initial mission was to improve knowledge about agriculture for food production in China, but has eventually expanded to form a rounded offering of science and liberal arts, while keeping its principle focus on agriculture and engineering.

The university's construction and development was overseen and supported by a number of China’s leaders, including Ye Jianying

Ye Jianying

Ye Jianying was a Chinese communist general and the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1978 to 1983.-Biography:...

, Deng Xiao Ping, Yang Shangkun

Yang Shangkun

Yang Shangkun was President of the People's Republic of China from 1988 to 1993, and was permanent Vice-chair of the Central Military Commission...

and Wang Shen. Each wrote epigraphs for campus landmarks such as the Liao Zhongkai and He Xiangning Memorial Museum and the Liao Zhongkai Monument.

In March 2008, with the approval of the Chinese Ministry of Education, the university was renamed Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering.

Departments offering Master’s Degrees

• Biochemicals
• Agricultural Product Processing and Storage Engineering
• Phytopathology
• Ornamental Plants and Horticulture
• Plant Protection
• Plant Processing and Security

Undergraduate Departments

• College of Agronomy
• College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
• College of Light Industry and Food Science
• Information College
• College of Computer Science and Engineering
• College of Urban Construction
• College of Life Sciences
• College of Economics and Trade
• College of Management
• College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Research Institutes

Zhongkai University hosts 56 research bodies, responsible for hundreds of research projects funded at the national and local levels. A sample of the university’s research groups includes:

• Floriculture Research Center
• Institute of Green Chemistry
• Institute of Biotechnology
• Institute of Plant Pathology
• Institute of Farm Products Processing and Preservation
• Institute of Industrial Economics
• Institute of Higher Education
• Institute of Zhongkai University Culture
• Institute of Artificial Environment and Control
• Institute of Green Engineering
• Institute of Seed Science and Engineering
• Institute of Crops

Recent research projects to win national- and provincial-level awards have included:

• Long-lasting, biodegradable resins to help irrigate soil in dry climates
• Basic research for controlling bactrocera dorsalis (oriental fruit fly)
• Synthesis of N-vinyl pyrrolidone catalytic systems
• Introduction and promotion of new kiwi fruit strains
• Production and application of water-absorbing agents
• Crucial technology for the cultivation of cut flowers in the Pearl River Delta
• Multifunctional fertilizers and preservatives for ornamental plants
• Eco-restoration techniques for strip-mined terrain
• Production and application of efficient molluscicides