| Founded in 1898, Peking University was originally named the Imperial University of Peking. It was the first national comprehensive university, as well as the supreme administrative organ for education in China at that time. In May 1912, the university took on its present day name, Peking University.
In 1952, to meet the reform demands of the country, Peking University became a more comprehensive university focusing on both the humanities and the sciences with an added emphasis on research. In April 2000, Peking University and Beijing Medical University merged, totally changing the composition and diversity of Peking University. Today, Peking University includes the natural sciences, the applied sciences, engineering sciences, as well as the humanities, social sciences, management sciences, education studies, foreign language studies, and a variety of other fields to become the newest standard for comprehensive higher education institutions.
There are around 31,000 students currently attending Peking University. The university consists of 5 faculties, 31 colleges and 14 departments. There are 271 research institutes and centers, 13 national key laboratories, and 6 affiliated hospitals and 10 teaching hospitals. Moreover, there are 100 undergraduates programs, 4 joint degree programs, 221 Masters programs, and 199 Ph.D. programs. In addition, there are 81 key national disciplines, 35 post-doctoral research stations. The faculty consists of 1,206 professors and 1,520 associate professors. The university also has 49 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 8 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 5 academicians of the Third World Academy of Sciences, 11 scientists who sit on the board of the “973 Project”, which is a major national science project, and 58 "Changjiang Scholarship" professors. These figures are the highest amongst all the institutions for higher learning in China. The Peking University Library is the largest collegiate library in Asia, housing over 7 million books.
Peking University is an increasingly international university with 1,825 international exchange students from over 100 countries registered in 2004. Every year, many heads of states and foreign dignitaries visit Peking University. Since 2000, over 20 foreign leaders and 40 Nobel laureates have spoken at the university. Additionally, Peking University has established exchange agreements with over 200 major universities from 80 countries and regions. Each year, there are more than 5,000 overseas visits made by Peking University faculty and students for research and exchange abroad.
|