History

• 1907 Developed into a comprehensive university integrating Engineering with Liberal,Arts, Law, etc.

• 1935 The first group of graduate students enrolled

• 1937 The first Master's degree conferred

• 1951 Merged with Hebei Technical College , and renamed as Tianjin University

• 1958 The first library (floor area of 14,423m2) established

• 1959 Became one of the first 16 National Key Universities

• 1981 The first group of Ph.D students enrolled

• 1984 The Graduate School founded

• 1985 The first Doctor's Degree conferred

• 1995 100th Anniversary

• 1999 National University Science Park built to facilitate knowledge transfer

• 2000 Priority support obtained from the Ministry of Education of China and the Municipal Government of Tianjin for further development

Established in 1895 with the name of Peiyang University , Tianjin University is the first institution of higher learning in modern China and plays an important role in modern Chinese education system. The study on modern Chinese history, including modern Chinese political and economical history, modern Chinese foreign history, modern Chinese educational history and modern Chinese technological history, cannot overlook the contribution of Peiyang University and Peiyang people.

"The world trend being voluminous and mighty, those who comply with it prosper and those who resist it perish."

In 1895, Sheng Xuanhuai, as an Intendant of Tianjin Customs of that time, asked Superior Prefecture Wang Wenshao, the Governor-General of Zhili (now Hebei Province) and Peiyang Grand Minister to report to the Qing Court. After acquiring sanction from the Emperor, Sheng founded the first new-type university in modern China – Peiyang Western Study School , i.e. Peiyang University (today's Tianjin University ), in Tianjin , where Westernization Movement originated. Thus, the history of education in China started a new era. From this day, Peiyang University has experienced a school-running course of more than a century, accumulated valuable experience for the development of Chinese higher education and cultivated a large number of elites for the modernization construction of China .

Peiyang University was the first to fully adopt western university system in China . Upon its beginning, it ran according to USA model, where western learning was mainly taught. Moreover, as to the school system, it was stipulated, as soon as the university was established, that the undergraduate program is the first class and prior the second and that either of them last four years. To those who completed the eight years of study, the diploma was conferred at first by "Imperial Envoy Handling Peiyang Commercial Affairs Governor of Zhili" (now Hebei Province ) and later by Ministry of Learning (equal to today's Ministry of Education). In 1900, Wang Chonghui, the first graduate of Peiyang University , was awarded "The First Imperially Written Diploma". It can be concluded from the above that upon its beginning Peiyang University deserved the reputation of new type university.

“The purpose of the foundation of universities is to train qualified personnel and expound academic views.”

In the early days of the university, Peiyang University set up law, civil engineering, mining and metallurgical engineering, and mechanic departments to meet the needs of national construction and train modernized personnel for the country. The far-sighted founders of the university used the experience of western educational system for reference in building curriculum, choosing teaching contents, text books and teaching approaches. In the following years, the succeeding presidents strained every nerve working on the perfection of the school management. Till 1949, Peiyang University had 14 departments and 5 research institutions, training numerous qualified personnel in various fields.

Peiyang University had adequate scientific and engineering equipment, with special emphasis on engineering . “All the books, samples, devices and various equipment for probing and analyzing experiments needed by the departments of science, geology, mining and metallurgical engineering, civil engineering and mechanics were purchased from the United States and Germany and must be replenished in the next year, which made Peiyang University a university with the most adequate scientific and engineering equipment in China, creating good learning and practicing conditions for the students there.” Meanwhile, in the summer vacation, students had the opportunities to go on a field trip to factories and mines with their tutors. “Thus in stead of empty talking, students in Peiyang University admire real talent and sound scholarship. They are able to use what they have learned at school and earnestly practice what they have advocated.” The early graduates of Peiyang University attained excellent records for examination organized by Ministry of Education of the government of Qing Dynasty, ranking high among other contemporary higher learning institutions in China .

In addition, practicing in various engineering projects aroused popular patriotism and the spirit of devotion among the students. In 1934, Qian Tang Jiang Bridge , which was the first bridge designed and built by Chinese engineers, was built in Hangzhou , Zhejiang Province. During the two-year period of the project, Peiyang students went to Hangzhou and engaged in the construction of the bridge, experiencing the whole process in person from the construction to the explosion of the bridge in the Anti-Japanese War. From the senior masters such as Zeng Yangfu and Mao Yisheng the students comprehended the truth that the destiny of individual was closely connected with that of the nation, which aroused the spirit of patriotism and devotion among the younger generations.

“It is the masters who make a university, not buildings.”

It is true that the development of a university depends on the substantial conditions and environment, however, the key to it is the masters of the university. From the very beginning, Peiyang University followed the models of top universities in western countries, hiring native and foreign experts and masters as professors in their respective fields. Except Chinese courses and some foreign language courses which were taught by Chinese teachers, other main courses of western advanced science and technology were all taught by foreign teachers. Most of the Chinese faculty was overseas graduates returned in the early years, like Wang Shaolian, a Peiyang Naval Institute graduate returning from Britain . Foreign faculty mainly consisted of USA teachers who were excellent graduate students from USA famous universities, such as Stanford and MIT. They were recommended by their professors in response to the letter of invitation written by Tenney Charles Daniel, the academic dean of Peiyang University . The teachers gave instruction in English and adopted original English edition of text books. “So in the early days of the university, Peiyang University could rival Harvard or Yale in teaching field.” “The first batch of Peiyang graduates was qualified to go directly to the graduate schools of famous USA universities for future study.” Due to the great achievements, the faculty was awarded by the Qing government several times.

With the development of the university, Peiyang started appointing native Chinese teachers as university faculty. A great number of famous Chinese experts and scholars, such as Feng Ximin, Mao Yisheng, Li Shutian, Wei Shou-kun and Zhang Guofan, were invited to teach in Peiyang University. They guaranteed the quality of the academic teaching and researching of the university.

“We don't want to be armchair strategists, but to transform our motherland.”

For over a century, Peiyang University had a large number of excellent graduates, who were the first generation brought up with both the Chinese and western cultures, and among whom were the founders of various fields in modern China, such as some in the first group of students officially sent to study overseas, the first aviation graduates, diplomats, well-known businessmen in transportation, mining and metallurgy, bankers, scientists, educators and social activists, too many to mention all of them. The Peiyang alumni started many “first's”, such as Wang Chonghui, the first Chinese judge to the International Court, Jin Wensi, the first person to start negotiation with GATT (WTO), Liu Ruiheng, the founder of the Chinese public health system, Ma Yinchu, the first Ph.D in economics, and Wang Zhengting, the first Chinese member in the International Olympic Committee. The alumni did great contributions in all walks of life and helped move China to a modernized society from an old feudal one.