History
See also: Education in the People's Republic of ChinaSichuan University (SCU) is the result of a merge of three national universities. In 1994, the original Sichuan University merged with the Chengdu University of Science and Technology (CUST), a national university under the Ministry of Education. The merged university was shortly known by the name of Sichuan Union University. In 2000, Sichuan University merged with West China University of Medical Science (WCUMS), a university under the State Ministry of Health, and became "Sichuan University".
The original Sichuan University was one of the earliest institutions of higher education in China, with a history dating back to Sichuan Zhong-Xi Xuetang (Sichuan Chinese and Western School), established in 1896. The Xuetang was in a direct line of succession with Jinjiang Shuyuan and Zunjing Shuyuan, institutions of Chinese classical learning, established in 1704 and 1875, respectively. By 1949, Sichuan University had developed into the biggest national multidisciplinary university with branches in: literature, science, engineering, agriculture, law, and teacher training.
In 1949, upon the nationwide adjustment of universities and colleges, spurred by the Chinese revolution, Sichuan University added courses on literature, historiography, religion, mathematics, physics, biology, and other subjects. In 1958, it was the only university outside Beijing directly administerd by the Central Government.
The former Chengdu University of Science and Technology was established as the Chengdu Engineering College in 1954 as the result of the nation-wide college and department adjustment. It specialized in chemical engineering, hydroelectricity, mechanics, textiles, and light industry.
The former West China University of Medical Science was originally built as a private medical school, once known as Huaxi Xiehe College (West China Union College). It was established in 1910 by five Christian missionary groups from the U.S., UK and Canada, with offered courses in stomatology, biomedicine, basic medicine and clinical medicine. WCUMS has been a medical university in China that also enjoys a good reputation abroad.
Zhang Lan, social activist, educationist, and former Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Central Government, and Wu Yuzhang, revolutionary and educationist, were once the President of the university. Other notable people who studied at SCU include Marshal Zhu De, one of the founding fathers of the People's Republic of China and the People's Liberation Army, Guo Moruo, a literary expert and previous president of Chinese Academy of Science, and Ba Jin, a well-known Chinese author.
Today, Sichuan University is the most comprehensive and largest university in Western China, and is part of Project 211. SCU grants doctorates in twelve main disciplines and 111 subordinate disciplines. It also has six professional degree programs, and has 16 disciplines for postdoctoral research. The 109 bachelor's degree programs SCU grants cover the main fields in liberal arts, sciences, engineering, medicine and agriculture. Its current student population is more than 70,000 and its alumni number over 200,000.
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