Zhejiang University

[EduCativ]

Zhejiang University is truly a comprehensive institution of higher learning with a long-standing commitment to seeking the truth and pursuing innovativeness. The University has been committed to its core mission of education, research, social service, and cultural transmission. It is dedicated to nurturing students to be thoughtful leaders and useful citizens with a global vision and social responsibility to interdisciplinary & innovative research that addresses pressing issues and challenges that face the world today and also to translating knowledge and creativity to benefit the people in our country, in the region and the global community.
Zhejiang University is a place of tradition; it is also a place full of vitality and entrepreneurial spirit.
Qiushi Academy, the predecessor of Zhejiang University, was founded in 1897 and was one of the earliest modern academic academies established in China. In 1928, the academy was named National Zhejiang University. During the wartime in the 1940s, Zhejiang University moved to Zunyi, Meitan, and other places in succession and stayed in West China for seven years. In 1946, Zhejiang University returned to Hangzhou. In 1952, due to a nationwide restructuring of universities, Zhejiang University underwent a reshuffling of disciplines. Some departments merged into other universities and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The remaining departments were divided and developed to become four specialized higher education institutions: former Zhejiang University, Hangzhou University, Zhejiang Agricultural University, and Zhejiang Medical University. In 1998, the four universities sharing the same ancestor merged to form the new Zhejiang University and set a new goal – to develop into a world-class university. In its 119-year history, Zhejiang University has always been committed to cultivating talent with excellence, advancing science and technology, serving for social development, and promoting culture, with the spirit best manifested in the university motto "Seeking the Truth and Pioneering New Trails."
Zhejiang University is a comprehensive research university with distinctive features and a national as well as global impact. Research at Zhejiang University spans 12 academic disciplines, covering philosophy, economics, law, education, literature, history, art, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, management, etc. With seven faculties and 36 colleges/schools/departments, one polytechnic Institute, Zhejiang University has 14 primary and 21 secondary national leading academic disciplines.
Zhejiang University has long been holding the educational philosophy of putting people foremost, cultivating all-round competence in students, seeking the truth, pioneering new trails in search of excellence, and developing future leaders with an international perspective. Zhejiang University has turned out a large number of outstanding talents in its history. There are more than 200 alumni-elected members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering. With educational thoughts advancing with the times, Zhejiang University paces the whole nation in educational reforms. Rich campus culture, advanced teaching facilities, and a wide range of international exchanges create favorable conditions for students' development.
Zhejiang University focuses on assiduous study and research and science and technological innovation. It has launched several international high-end academic platforms and gathered masters, scholars, and high-level research teams in various disciplines.
As of Dec. 2016, 48,762 full-time students enrolled at Zhejiang University, including approximately 15,092 graduate students, 9,537 Ph.D. candidates, and 24,133 undergraduates. Also, there are about 6,237 international students currently attending Zhejiang University. Among its approximate 3,502 standing faculty members, 1,631 faculty members have the title of professor. Other important facts and figures are as follows: 19 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 88experts in State' 1000-elite Programs', 41 chief scientists of national 973 projects, 128 Chair Professors in Cheung Kong Scholar Program, and 130 scholars awarded with National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. With seven campuses, namely Zijingang, Yuquan, Xixi, Huajiachi, Zhejiang, Zhoushan, and Haining campus, Zhejiang University encompasses an area of 4,265,678 square meters with school buildings covering 2,575,983 square meters of floor space. The university library holds a collection of more than 6.935 million volumes. Also, Zhejiang University has seven high-level affiliated hospitals.
As a national university standing by River Qiantang, Zhejiang University strives to build itself into an innovative, comprehensive research university with a world-class status. Zhejiang University will be adhering to the spirit of seeking the truth and pioneering new trails, dedicating itself to creating and disseminating knowledge, inheriting and advancing civilization, serving and leading the society, and promoting national prosperity, social development, and human progress.
Since the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Zhejiang University was forced to move to Guizhou. Under the guidance of President Chu Kochen, the famous meteorologist, geologist, and educator, Zhejiang University went all the way through difficulties and adversities to establish itself as one of the leading universities in China. It was even honored as "Oriental Cambridge" by famous British scholar Joseph Needham. In 1946 Zhejiang University moved back to Hangzhou. In two years, it has become a comprehensive university with seven schools, 25 departments, nine research institutes, and one research center covering Liberal Arts, Science, Engineering, Agriculture, Normal Education, Law, Medicine, and so on.
In 1952, universities in China underwent a nationwide reshuffling due to which the disciplines and institutes of Zhejiang University were restructured and dissociated. Some institutes were upgraded to become colleges or universities, and some merged with other universities such as Hangchow University and Zhejiang Provincial College of Medicine. Part of the School of Liberal Arts and School of Science merged with the school of Liberal Arts and Science of Hangchow University and Zhejiang Education College to form Zhejiang Teacher's College. In 1958 it was merged with the newly founded Hangzhou Unversity. The School of Agriculture was separated to form Zhejiang College of Agriculture, renamed Zhejiang Agricultural University in 1960. The School of Medicine was merged to Zhejiang Provincial College of Medicine to form Zhejiang Medical College, later renamed Zhejiang Medical University. After the readjustment and restructuring, Zhejiang University became a multidisciplinary polytechnical university.
The four universities with the same ancestor, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou University, Zhejiang Agricultural University, and Zhejiang Medical University, all attained considerable achievements. Zhejiang University became a key national university covering a wide range of disciplines that focuses on engineering. The other three universities, with enormous potential and distinct features, also thrived in respective disciplines. These four universities made remarkable contributions to the development of Zhejiang Province and the whole nation.
With the approval of the State Council, on Sep. 15, 1998, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou University, Zhejiang Agricultural University, and Zhejiang Medical University amalgamated into the new Zhejiang University. The new Zhejiang University is oriented toward a comprehensive university with extensive academic capacity and cutting-edge competitiveness. Its founding has been a significant move in the reform and development of China's higher education. Now Zhejiang University is under the direct administration of China's Ministry of Education, with joint support from both the Ministry of Education and Zhejiang Provincial Government.

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