Retrace President Xi's Footsteps: Jiaotong University
Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) is well-known not only in Shaanxi but also in China and beyond. It is a key university under the direct administration of the Ministry of Education of China and is one of the oldest universities in China. Its predecessor was Nanyang College, established in 1896 by Sheng Xuanhuai, a famous industrialist and educator in modern China, also the now Shanghai Jiaotong University. In 1956, the main part of Jiaotong University was relocated to Xi'an according to the decision of the State Council, and this relocated part of Jiaotong University was later officially renamed Xi'an Jiaotong University in 1959.
Till the 1920s to 1930s, it had developed to be a university with “science, engineering and management” as its distinctive disciplines and had been reputed as the “oriental MIT”.
Qian Xuesen Library
Xi'an Jiaotong University has four campuses: the Xingqing campus, the Yanta campus, the Qujiang campus, and the Western China Science & Technology Innovation Harbor (IHarbour), covering a total area of about 5.33 million square meters and a total construction area of 4.2 million square meters. The “Qian Xuesen Library,” named after alumnus Qian Xuesen, which is authorized by CPC Publicity Department, is located on the Xingqing campus, covering nearly 40 thousand square meters and has 3,518 reading seats. The library collections include 5.71 million books and the library has introduced 119 electronic resources at home and abroad and the total number of electronic resources amounts to 330. Its holdings now include 86,000 electronic periodicals and 1.74million e-books in Chinese and foreign languages.
Westward relocation spirit
Is XJTU only famous in Shaanxi? Of course not. The "westward relocation spirit" of Xi'an Jiaotong University has been mentioned by President Xi for more than one time.
What is "westward relocation spirit" exactly? As we've mentioned above, XJTU was originally established in Shanghai. In 1955, due to the needs of the national strategic layout and the industrial development of the western region, the State Council decided to relocate the university from Shanghai to Xi'an.
school gate of Nanyang College
With the ambition of "marching into science and developing the northwest", the teachers, students, and staff of Jiaotong University moved from the banks of the Huangpu River to the remote Shaanxi province and devoted themselves to the construction of Western China. They were indeed the forerunners of Western development.
Statistics show that of the 767 teachers enrolled in Jiaotong University in 1956, 537 moved to Xi'an, accounting for more than 70% of the total. Nearly 50 professors and associate professors took the lead in moving westward, which set an example for young teachers and students.
some professors who moved to Xi'an from Shanghai
At that time, the conditions in Xi'an were very poor: the road was uneven, the lights were broken, the telephone was not working, and the water was very scarce. At the initial period of the school, the hare ran around on campus, and people can even hear the wolf howl at midnight. In winter, teachers and students only had a small stove to keep warm in the classroom, and they had to get water from the construction site if they needed to wash their faces. Despite undesirable conditions, they were full of energy and hope.
They forged the "westward relocation spirit" with dedication and hard work.
Big-picture mindset, dedication, tradition-keeping, and hard work are the best interpretations of the spirit.
XJTU has educated 270,000 students since 1956 with a good reputation in the past 63 years, and there are a number of famous XJTU alumni who have provided great intellectual support for the development of Western China.
Since Westward Relocation, XJTU has been dedicated in taking the lead in scientific research and has achieved several “firsts” in certain fields at home and abroad, including the establishment of the first Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of China, the first university establishing majors of Steam Turbine, Automobile Manufacture, Refrigeration, and Cryogenic Technology and Displacement Compressor, the invention of the first large All Purpose Electronic Computer and the first digital processor chip of China, and the institutional affiliation of researchers who first proposed the twin-shear unified strength theory with the proprietary intellectual property rights in the world, etc. Since its Relocation, XJTU has made more than 29,000 research achievements, of which 237 won the National Natural Science Award, the National Technological Innovation Award and the National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology, bringing about over one hundred billion benefits to the society.
The campus of XJTU has also changed a lot.
gate of Xi'an Jiaotong University (1960)
the North Gate of Xingqing Campus of Xi'an Jiaotong University
Aerial view of Xi'an Jiaotong University in 1978
Aerial View of Xingqing Campus of Xi'an Jiaotong University
the first library built after relocation
Qian Xuesen Library
campus view in 1959
campus nowadays
A road on the campus
Parasoltree Avenue
Xi'an Jiaotong University is an important talent pool and a think tank, and also a scientific and educational highland in the western region. All this is partially attributed to the meaningful relocation and more importantly the inheritance and spread of "westward relocation spirit". The spirit has become the spiritual blood of Xi'an Jiaotong University.
On April 22, Xi visited an exhibition at a museum in Xi'an Jiaotong University on the relocation of Jiaotong University from Shanghai to Xi'an and its development and achievements.
He met with 14 professors, who had been relocated along with the university decades ago. He praised the professors for making personal sacrifices in the interests of the country by moving with the university from Shanghai to Xi'an.
He encouraged teachers and students at the university to remain true to their original aspirations, continue to draw inspiration from the relocation, pursue their careers where the country's needs are greatest, and pass on the "westward relocation spirit" from generation to generation.
President Xi's inspection trip to XJTU has reignited the "westward relocation spirit", which was vital for China to achieve social and economic development in the past decades, to fight against the coronavirus epidemic at present and to complete building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. All in all, the "westward relocation spirit" must be passed on to the new generations in the new era.
Strong XJTU
Currently, XJTU is a comprehensive research university with 10 major categories of disciplines: science, engineering, medicine, economics, management, humanities, law, philosophy, education and art, and 26 schools (departments/centers), 9 university colleges for undergraduates and 20 affiliated teaching hospitals.
XJTU now has 42,379 full-time students. The university offers 86 undergraduate majors, and there are 32 first-level disciplines authorized to confer doctorate degrees, and there are 43 first-level disciplines authorized to confer master’s degrees, 25 post-doctoral research stations. There are 5 national key laboratories, 3 National Engineering Laboratories, 5 International Science & Technology Cooperation Base.
According to the data released by the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) in May 2019, 14 disciplines of XJTU are ranked top 1/100 among international academic institutions, 2 disciplines are ranked 1/1000 and the discipline of engineering is ranked top 1/10000 on the ESI list.
Xi'an Jiaotong University has established extensive international ties. In 2019, there are over 3,000 foreign students from over 141 countries studying at XJTU. Since 2000, 25 winners of the Nobel Prize and the Fields Prize and over 2,000 foreign professors have visited XJTU and gave lectures. XJTU also exchanged or established cooperation relations with over 20,000 scholars, CEOs, and high-level government officials from around the world or developed other kinds of collaborative projects. More than 28,000 XJTU teachers and students have been abroad to visit, study, do research, or participate in degree programs, and over 2,000 faculty members and researchers have traveled abroad for conferences. XJTU has had relations and exchanges with 300 universities and research institutions in 44 countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Korea.
Beautiful XJTU
Besides a strong pool of faculty and scientific research strength, XJTU also enjoys the amazing view on its campuses. For locals, it is a prestigious university and also a good place to visit.
The university is bustling particularly in spring when sakura trees blossom.
XJTU in all seasons is all fascinating.
Check it out!
XJTU in summer
XJTU in autumn
XJTU in winter
