Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine

Preparations to establish Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine were approved by the State Council in 1982. It began teaching in 1986 by accepting students from the traditional Chinese medicine university class of the former Shanxi Medical College. It was formally established in 1989 with approval from the former State Education Commission, was authorized to award master’s degrees in 2000, and was renamed from Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine to Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine with Ministry of Education approval in 2017. It was authorized to award doctoral degrees in 2024. It is jointly supported by the Shanxi Provincial People’s Government and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was among the first Ministry of Education pilot institutions for reform under the Excellent Doctor (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Education and Training Program, and is a Shanxi demonstration university for deepening innovation and entrepreneurship education reform.

The university covers approximately 1091 mu and has 2 campuses in Taiyuan and Jinzhong, 15 secondary-level teaching units, 5 directly affiliated hospitals, 86 practical teaching bases, and 20 undergraduate programs across medicine, engineering, management and other categories. It has approximately 13000 full-time students.

With traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacy as its main focus, the university integrates Chinese and Western medicine and coordinates interdisciplinary development. It has doctoral degree authorization in the first-level discipline of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy and the professional category of Traditional Chinese Medicine; master’s degree authorization in the first-level disciplines of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Chinese Pharmacy; and professional master’s degree authorization in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, Nursing and Acupuncture. It has 4 National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine high-level key disciplines, 18 key disciplines of that administration, 4 Shanxi priority development disciplines, 1 Shanxi distinctive key discipline, 1 advantageous and distinctive discipline under Shanxi’s 1331 Project, and 1 Shanxi university innovation discipline cluster serving industry.

The university has 2 national first-class undergraduate program development sites, 1 nationally distinctive program development project, 1 reform pilot project under the Excellent Doctor (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Education and Training Program, 7 Shanxi first-class undergraduate program development sites, 4 provincial distinctive program development projects, 2 provincial advantageous and distinctive program development projects, and 1 provincial pilot program for reform in excellent and top talent training. It has 54 approved first-class courses at provincial level or above, including 5 national and 49 provincial first-class courses. It was among the first national demonstration centers for clinical teaching and training in traditional Chinese medicine, admits students to the integrated “5+3” Traditional Chinese Medicine program, and is a practical skills examination base for the National Medical Licensing Examination. It has 2 provincial modern industry colleges, 3 university experimental teaching demonstration centers, and 2 provincial demonstration laboratories for basic courses. Its School of Marxism has been approved as a Shanxi Key School of Marxism.

The university has 786 full-time teachers, including 364 with senior professional and technical titles. Its staff include 1 major national talent program recipient, 3 National Masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 6 National Renowned Chinese Medicine Physicians, 1 nationally distinguished teacher, 1 national recipient of the New Century Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talent Project, 1 Qihuang Scholar, 6 Young Qihuang Scholars, 2 Ministry of Education New Century Excellent Talents, 48 national mentors for inheriting the academic experience of senior traditional Chinese medicine experts, and 24 national outstanding clinical talents in traditional Chinese medicine. It has 1 Shanxi young scientist, 30 Shanxi academic and technical leaders, 57 renowned senior traditional Chinese medicine physicians of Shanxi, 24 renowned Shanxi physicians, and 56 provincial mentors for inheriting the academic experience of senior traditional Chinese medicine experts. It has 37 doctoral supervisors, 803 master’s supervisors, 25 experts receiving special State Council allowances, and 10 provincially distinguished teachers. It has 3 Shanxi outstanding teaching teams, 1 provincial leading science and technology innovation team, 9 provincial key teams, and 1 key innovation team under the provincial 1331 Project. In recent years, it has received 1 second prize in the National Teaching Achievement Awards, along with 3 special prizes, 4 first prizes and 14 second prizes in provincial teaching achievement awards.

The university focuses on major national, regional and industry needs and continually strengthens its overall scientific and technological capabilities. It has 51 research, development and science and technology service platforms at provincial or ministerial level or above. These include 5 national platforms: the National Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization Industry Base in Shanxi, a national international science and technology cooperation base, a national regional medical center, the National International Joint Research Center for Molecular Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Traditional Chinese Medicine Microemulsions. It also has 9 ministerial platforms, including the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine international exchange and cooperation base, the Laboratory for Gene Expression Regulation in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Processing Technology Inheritance Base, and the Acupuncture Needling Methods Laboratory, as well as 37 provincial platforms. Over the past five years, it has undertaken 2175 national, provincial, ministerial and commissioned projects, received 12 provincial or ministerial science and technology awards, obtained 398 intellectual property rights including invention patents, utility model patents and software copyrights, and published 90 academic monographs. It has completed 71 transfers and commercializations of research achievements. In particular, LM49 tablets, a national Category 1 new drug for diabetic nephropathy developed under Professor Li Qingshan’s leadership, were commercialized for RMB 110 million. This was Shanxi’s first project with a commercialization value exceeding RMB 100 million and marked a historic breakthrough for independently developed original drugs in the province.

The university has 5 directly affiliated Grade III Class A hospitals, of which 3 are national standardized residency training bases for traditional Chinese medicine. The Affiliated Hospital was China’s first host institution for developing a national regional traditional Chinese medicine center. The Affiliated Acupuncture and Tuina Hospital is one of only 2 Grade III Class A specialist acupuncture hospitals in the country. The Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine is a pilot institution for developing a national flagship hospital for coordinated Chinese and Western medicine and a National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine key development institution for integrated Chinese and Western medicine. The Affiliated Jinzhong Hospital is a Grade III Class A traditional Chinese medicine hospital specializing in rehabilitation and health preservation. The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital is a National Drug Clinical Research Base approved by the State Food and Drug Administration and one of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Ten Key Research Institutes.

The university vigorously develops cooperation with local authorities and enterprises, continually expanding its social influence. It led the establishment of the Shanxi Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Innovation Alliance, which currently has 73 member institutions. It has signed strategic cooperation agreements with 89 local governments and enterprises, including the Jinzhong Municipal People’s Government, Shanxi Zhendong Health Industry Group and Yabao Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.

The university continues to advance social services and external cooperation and exchange. It joined the Belt and Road Traditional Chinese Medicine Development Alliance as a founding member, is a member of the Belt and Road International Medical Education Alliance, and is one of the initiators of its traditional Chinese medicine sub-alliance. It is one of Shanxi’s 3 institutions entrusted to educate Chinese Government Scholarship students. For more than 20 consecutive years, it has undertaken teaching for the Ministry of Commerce’s Acupuncture Technology Training Course for Developing Countries. It has also established good cooperative relationships with academic institutions in over 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland, Russia and Malaysia.

On a new journey of development in the new era, the university will continue to be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and uphold its motto of “Great Virtue and Truth-Seeking, Upholding Foundations and Pursuing Innovation.” It will actively adapt to new circumstances in the revitalization and development of traditional Chinese medicine, serve and participate in the new development pattern, remain committed to development through stronger quality, distinctive strengths and innovation, comprehensively improve its educational capabilities, and strive to become a high-level university of Chinese medicine.