Peking University was founded in 1898 as a product of the Hundred Days’ Reform and a result of the Chinese nation’s efforts to save the country and strengthen education. Originally named the Capital University, it was the first national comprehensive university in modern China. After the Xinhai Revolution, it was renamed to its current name in 1912.In the long history of civilization, ancient China established the highest national institutions of learning such as the Imperial Academy, the Imperial Academy, and the Imperial Academy, which had an important influence on the history of education in China and the world. Peking University inherits the orthodox teachings of the Imperial Academy and establishes its ancestral home as a university. It is not only the inheritor of Chinese cultural and educational traditions, but also marks the beginning of modern higher education in China. At the beginning of its establishment, it was also the highest educational administrative organ of the country, making important historical contributions to the establishment of Chinese modernism.
As the center of the New Culture Movement and the birthplace of the May 4th Movement, as the birthplace of the earliest dissemination of Marxism and democratic scientific ideas in China, and as the initial important activity base of the CPC, Peking University has made outstanding contributions to the revitalization and liberation of the nation, the construction and development of the country, and the civilization and progress of society, playing an important pioneering role in the process of China’s modernization. The spirit of patriotism, progress, democracy, and science, as well as the diligent, rigorous, pragmatic, and innovative academic atmosphere, continue to thrive and be passed down from generation to generation here.
In 1917, the famous educator Cai Yuanpei became the president of Peking University. Following the principle of freedom of thought and embracing inclusivity, he carried out effective reforms of Peking University, promoting ideological liberation and academic prosperity. Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Mao Zedong, as well as outstanding figures such as Lu Xun, Hu Shi, and Li Siguang, have all taught or served at Peking University.After the Lugou Bridge Incident in 1937, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Nankai University moved south to Changsha and jointly formed the National Changsha Temporary University. In 1938, the temporary university relocated westward to Kunming and was renamed National Southwest Associated University. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Peking University was demobilized in Beiping in October 1946.After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, universities across the country underwent departmental adjustments in 1952. Peking University became a comprehensive university with a focus on basic teaching and research in arts and sciences, as well as cutting-edge applied disciplines. It has trained a large number of outstanding talents for the socialist construction cause, and among the 23 “Two Bombs and One Satellite” honors, there are 12 alumni of Peking University.Since the reform and opening up, Peking University has entered a new era of steady and rapid development, becoming one of the first key universities under the national “211 Project” in 1994. On May 4, 1998, during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Peking University, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued a call for “in order to achieve modernization, China must have several world-class universities with advanced levels”, and subsequently launched the “985 Project” to build world-class universities. With the support and promotion of this national strategy, Peking University has turned a new page in its development.
On April 3, 2000, Peking University merged with the former Beijing Medical University to form the new Peking University. The predecessor of the former Beijing Medical University was the National Beijing Medical Specialized School, founded on October 26, 1912. The establishment of the Medical Industry Hall in the Capital University in 1903 laid the foundation for the birth of this national Western medicine school. In the 1930s and 1940s, the school was once called the Medical College of Peking University and merged into Peking University in July 1946. In 1952, during the nationwide adjustment of university departments, Peking University School of Medicine separated from Peking University and became independent as Beijing Medical College. In 1985, it was renamed as Beijing Medical University, and in 1996, it became one of the first medical universities supported by the national “211 Project”. The merger of the two universities has further expanded the disciplinary structure of Peking University, laying the foundation for promoting the cross integration of medicine with science, engineering, and humanities and social sciences, and reforming and innovating medical education.
The current Secretary of the School Party Committee, Hao Ping, and the President, Gong Qihuang.