Introduction

Peking University, commonly known in Chinese as "Beida", was established in 1898, and is one of the oldest universities in China. Peking University was originally named as the Imperial University of Beijing. It was the first national comprehensive university in China, as well as the supreme administrative organ for education in China at that time. The establishment of this university marked the beginning of China's modern history of higher education. It was in 1912, after the Revolution of 1911, that the university came to adopt its present name. At the end of last century, Peking University was placed, by the Chinese government, on the top of the agenda for promoting higher education, with a view to make it a world-class university in the 21st century.

The University consists of 30 colleges and 12 departments, with 93 specialties for undergraduates, 199 specialties for Master candidates and 173 specialties for Doctoral candidates. While still laying stress on basic sciences, the university has paid special attention to the development of applied sciences. At present, Peking University has 216 research institutes and research centres, and there are 2 national engineering research centres, 81 key national disciplines, 12 national key laboratories.

Peking University has continually played the essential role of pioneer in the course of China's progress towards modernization. The university's traditional values of patriotism, progress, democracy, and science, together with the educational style of diligence, exactitude, truthfulness, and innovation, have been passed down from generation to generation.

With an efficient and democratic administration laying emphasis on scientific research and academic freedom, the university has hitherto trained a large number of people with various specialties. According to incomplete statistics, there have been approximately 400 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering among the alumni and the faculties of Peking University. A large proportion of prestigious Chinese scholars in the fields of humanities and social sciences have also been connected with Peking University. A whole array of significant research achievements and works of scholarship find their cradles here on the campus. With the incorporation of the former Beijing Medical University, a completely new Peking University came into being on April 3, 2000.