Overview
Chinese Name: 北京大学
English Name: Peking University
Abbreviation: 北大(Beida); PKU
Established: 1898
Location: Beijing
Website: http://www.pku.www.cn
Brief introduction of Peking University
Founded in 1898, Peking University was originally known as the Imperial University of Peking京师大学堂.
Its establishment signified the complete collapse of the old feudal educational system that had lasted for several thousand years, and at the same time, the birth of a brand-new educational system that met the demands of development in a new age.
Following China’s defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), initiatives were introduced to replace the outdated education system with a more modern one. In 1898, amid intensifying internal and external crises, Emperor Guangxu光绪 issued his first reform decree, declaring the establishment of the Imperial University of Peking. The University was China’s first modern institution for higher education, and in its early days, it also served as the highest Administrative Office for Education.
On May 3, 1912, the government of the Republic of China ordered the Imperial University of Peking to be renamed Peking University.
In recent years, Peking University has entered a new stage of development. It has made remarkable achievements in disciplinary development, student training, faculty building, and scientific research, which has laid a solid foundation for building Peking University into a world-class university世界一流大学. Like any institution, Peking University has gone through changes and reforms from its founding to the present day, yet it has remained a leader in Chinese higher education. Just as it was from its founding, Peking University continues to be a role model for the entire nation and set the standard of excellence in China.
Education Achivements and Rankings
Peking University consists of 30 schools and 12 departments, with 125 majors for undergraduates, 2 majors for the second Bachelor’s degree, 282 programs for Master’s degree candidates and 258 programs for doctoral candidates. In addition to basic research, the university also conducts applied research.
Peking University has 216 research institutions and research centres, including 2 national engineering research centers, 81 key national disciplines, and 12 national key laboratories. With 8 million holdings, the university library is the largest of its kind in Asia.
Peking University has become a center for teaching and research, consisting of diverse branches of learning such as pure and applied sciences, social sciences and humanities, and sciences of management and education.
As of 2021, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked Peking University 16th in the world and 1st in China & the Asia-Pacific, with its teaching and research performance indicators placed at 4th and 9th in the world respectively, which are historical strengths for the university.
The U.S. News & World Report ranked Peking University 45th in the world, 5th in Asia and 2nd in China.
QS World University Rankings ranked Peking University 16th in the world and 2nd in Asia.
Peking University was also ranked 15th in the world and 1st in the whole of Asia-Pacific in The Three University Missions Ranking.
Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the “Shanghai Ranking”, placed Peking University 45th in the world, 5th in the Asia-Pacific, and 2nd in China.
The Research Base of Beijing Science and Technology Innovation Center also placed Peking University 2nd in China, demonstrating the academic and research prowess of the university.
Famous Alumni
In the past century, Peking University has a large number of outstanding alumni, including academic predecessors and educators who have made great contributions to China’s modern science, culture and education, first-class professors selected by the Department members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and teachers of the University in the 1950s, and winners of the “Nobel Prize”, “Two bombs and one Star Meritorious Medal两弹一星功勋奖章” and the “National Highest Science and Technology Award国家最高科学技术奖”.
Peking University has produced the most notable politicians among all universities in China. As of 2017, 88 Peking University alumni currently serve in the government at vice-ministerial positions or higher, including the current premier of China Li Keqiang李克强.
Notable alumni in the sciences include Nobel laureate Tu Youyou屠呦呦, who for her work in discovering artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin used to treat malaria, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura.
Notable alumni in the humanities and arts include author Lu Xun鲁迅, philosopher and essayist Hu Shih胡适.
