Anhui Normal University

Anhui Normal University is Anhui’s earliest established institution of higher education. It is located in Wuhu, a nationally designated open city known for its Anhui cultural character and thousands of lakes, beside the Yangtze River and scenic Zheshan Hill. Combining the natural beauty of the region south of the Yangtze with Anhui’s cultural heritage, it is jointly supported by the Anhui Provincial People’s Government and Ministry of Education and included in the national Central and Western China Higher Education Basic Capacity Building Project. It is a provincial key comprehensive university given priority by the Anhui Party committee and government and an institution under Anhui’s Local High-Level University project.

Its predecessor was Provincial Anhui University, founded in Anqing in 1928, renamed National Anhui University in 1946 and relocated in its entirety to Wuhu in December 1949. It subsequently passed through stages as Anhui Teachers College, Hefei Teachers College, Wannan University, whose name was inscribed by Liu Shaoqi, and Anhui Workers and Peasants University. In 1972, the State Council approved its formal name, Anhui Normal University, inscribed by Guo Moruo. Wuhu Teachers College was incorporated in its entirety in 2005.

Over more than 80 years, renowned experts, scholars and public figures including Liu Wendian, Zhou Jianren, Yu Dafu, Su Xuelin, Chen Wangdao, Zhu Xiang, Zhu Guangqian, Wang Xinggong, Yang Lianggong, Cheng Yansheng, Tao Yin, Zhang Weici, Ding Xuxian, Xiang Nan and Xu Jie gathered beside Linghu and Jinghu lakes to write, advance scholarship and promote culture and education. Through generations of dedicated work, practice, mentoring and personal example, the university developed a spirit of “Depth and Simplicity, Goodness and Far-Reaching Aspiration, Excellence and Self-Improvement”; a teaching ethos of rigorous scholarship, dedication, educating students and exemplary conduct; a learning ethos of diligent study and careful thought, simplicity and modesty, unity of knowledge and action, and pursuit of truth and innovation; and the motto “Great Virtue, Respect for Education, Broad Learning and Earnest Practice.” Since its founding, it has educated more than 200000 full-time higher-level professionals for the country.

It has 17 schools: Chinese Language and Literature, Politics, Law, Economics and Management, Music, Fine Arts, History and Society, Educational Science, Foreign Languages, Physical Education, Journalism and Communication, Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics and Electronic Information, Chemistry and Materials Science, Land Resources and Tourism, Life Sciences, and Environmental Science and Engineering. It also has schools of Continuing Education and International Education and operates Wanjiang College of Anhui Normal University and affiliated secondary, primary and nursery schools.

Its disciplines cover literature, history, philosophy, economics, management, law, education, science, engineering, agriculture and art. It has a complete talent training system spanning doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s education and full-time higher education, adult higher education and international student education. It has 5 first-level and 45 second-level doctoral degree authorization fields, 5 postdoctoral research stations, 25 first-level and 128 second-level master’s degree authorization fields, 12 professional degree authorization fields, 18 provincial key disciplines, 3 provincial major discipline development projects and 88 undergraduate programs. It has 1 Ministry of Education key research base in the humanities and social sciences for universities jointly supported by ministry and province, 1 Ministry of Education key laboratory, 1 Ministry of Education country and regional studies center, 1 provincial key laboratory under cultivation jointly supported by province and ministry, 2 Anhui 2011 collaborative innovation centers, 5 Anhui university key research bases in the humanities and social sciences, 5 Anhui key laboratories, 3 Anhui university key laboratories, 1 Anhui engineering laboratory, 1 provincial key think tank, 1 Anhui engineering technology research center, 1 Anhui university engineering technology research center, and 1 Anhui public service platform for science and technology innovation.

It has more than 2300 faculty and staff, including over 1450 full-time teachers and over 840 staff holding associate senior or higher professional and technical titles. It has 3 national teaching teams, 1 renowned cultural figure under the Four Groups talent program, 1 leading philosophy and social sciences talent under the Ten Thousand Talents Plan, 3 national Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talent Project recipients, 7 Ministry of Education New Century Excellent Talent Support Program recipients, 5 Wanjiang Scholars distinguished professors, 4 chair professors, 1 Young Wanjiang Scholar, 2 provincial Hundred Talents Program recipients, 28 provincial academic and technical leaders, 47 reserve candidates for those roles, 13 provincial teaching teams, 24 provincially distinguished teachers, and 28 provincial rising teaching stars. It has more than 43800 enrolled students of various categories, including over 4900 postgraduate students, over 21700 regular undergraduates, over 260 international students, and over 17000 adult undergraduate and junior college students.

Its campus covers 1.9525 million square meters, with a building floor area of 900600 square meters and equipment valued at RMB 497 million. Its library is a National Key Institution for the Protection of Ancient Books and holds rich and diverse collections, including 2.89 million books and over 700 rare ancient book titles. These include China’s only complete copy of Hongwu Zhengyun, a Yuan-printed and Ming-revised edition of Tongzhi, and Jiajing-period Ming editions of The Complete Works of Li Taibai and Collected Works of Du Gongbu, all rare treasures in China. It also provides major Chinese and international online resources and databases and has largely digitized its collections. It operates Anhui Normal University Press and edits and publishes academic journals and newspapers including the Journal of Anhui Normal University, Journal of College Advisers, Chinese Language Learning, and Anhui Normal University Newspaper.

It was among the first universities approved to admit publicly funded international students and is a National Chinese Language and Culture Education Base and the Anhui Center for the International Promotion of Chinese. It has received more than 3000 long- and short-term visiting and degree students from over 30 countries and regions. It has long-term friendly partnerships and academic exchanges with dozens of universities, research institutions, academic organizations and educational institutions in countries and regions including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam. It jointly established a Confucius Institute with Charles Darwin University in Australia.

It is also a Ministry of Education training and development base for university advisers, a national Ministry of Education training base for key primary and secondary teachers, a national training base for social work professionals, a national training base for social sports instructors, the Anhui university faculty training center, an Anhui outstanding legal talent training base, an Anhui professional and technical personnel training base, an Anhui education management cadre training base, an Anhui key high-school teacher training base, and an Anhui key tourism secondary vocational teacher training base.

With achievements across generations and graduates contributing widely, it is responding to the opportunities and challenges of higher education growth. Toward becoming a distinctive high-level university, it is implementing strategies of building on quality, developing through distinctive strengths, strengthening through talent, leading through disciplines, revitalizing through openness, governing by law and advancing through culture. It maintains scientific, quality-centered and harmonious development, continually improves core competitiveness and overall strength, and works to make new and greater contributions to economic and social development and building a Beautiful Anhui.