Top Chinese Universities: Tsinghua University

Top Chinese Universities Series
In May 1998, the Chinese government initiated the ambitious Project 985 to promote its higher education system. Under this project, the central and local governments allocated billions of US dollars to 39 of China s best universities, helping them improve their facilities, recruit world-renowned scholars, and boost their international reputation in the areas of teaching, and research and development. The series has been conceptualized to introduce international readers to the history, courses and programs, research and development, campus life, alumni, international relations, and student activities of some of these top Chinese universities such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, Renmin University of China, and Beijing Normal University.

Tsinghua University
The year 2011 marks the centenary of Tsinghua University. The origin of the university can be traced back to Tsing Hua Imperial College, a school founded in 1911 by the Qing Dynasty government to prepare students for higher education in the United States. Over the past 100 years, it has evolved into a world-class comprehensive and research-oriented university. At present, it houses 16 schools and 57 departments, covering disciplines such as science, engineering, arts, economics, and management. All these are located on one of the World s Most Beautiful Campuses as published in the March 2010 issue of Forbes. In addition, Tsinghua has set up over 300 student exchange programs with other top universities of the world. Joint degree and master programs have also been set up in collaboration with French, German, and Japanese universities.
Tsinghua University has been consistently ranked as one of the top three universities of China. According to the World University Rankings 2011, published by Times Higher Education, Tsinghua ranks 35th, above all other universities in China. Among its stellar alumni are President Hu Jintao; Cao Yu (a master of modern Chinese drama); and Charles Zhang (CEO of Sohu.com). Eminent scholars now teaching at Tsinghua include Nobel laureate Chen-ning F. Yang and Yau Shing-tung, winner of the Fields Medal the highest prize in mathematics.

Table of Contents :
Preface by the President of Tsinghua University
Introduction
1. Campus and Architecture
2. History
3. Traditions and Culture
4. The Faculty
5. Education
6. Distinguished Alumni
7. Research 8. Social Services
9. International Exchange and Cooperation
10. Acknowledgements and Community Support