Fudan University, originally called Fudan Public School, it was founded in 1905 in Shanghai, now is one of the leading universities in China with a long history and an international reputation for academic excellence. Fudan, which literally means in Chinese, "a new morning," was named after a quote from the Confucian classic, Shang Shu, which was compiled about two thousand years ago. The quotation reads: "Brilliant are the sunlight and the moonlight, Again the morning glory after a night." As a famous aphorism, this quotation means the making of unremitting efforts to improve oneself.

In 1917, Fudan became a private university composed of various departments in the humanities, natural sciences and business, as well as a preparatory school and a middle school. In 1923, showing great concern for Fudan, Sun Yisen wrote an inscription for the university's annual journal. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Fudan was moved to the inland city of Bei Pei, Chongqing. In 1941, Fudan became a national university and five years later it was moved back to its present campus at Jiangwan, Shanghai, the original site of the university. In 1951, Mao Zedong wrote the university name at the invitation of Chen Wangdao, then president of Fudan University. In 1952, the nation-wide adjustment of departments and schools among institutions of higher learning made Fudan a comprehensive university consisting of programs in liberal arts, social sciences, natural sciences, technical sciences and management sciences. During April 2000, Fudan University and Shanghai Medical University merged into a more comprehensive university.

Fudan University is under the direct jurisdiction of the State Ministry of Education, formerly known as the State Education Commission. Professor Wang Shenghong is the incumbent president of Fudan University, Professor Qin shaode is the Secretary of the Party Committee, and Professor Su Buqing, the honorary president, is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Fudan University is composed of 17 schools offering a complete range of majors and disciplines: humanities, law, journalism, economics, management, information science and engineering, software, life science, nursing, basic medical sciences, public health, pharmaceutical technology, technology and engineering, international relations and public affairs, continuing education, network education and international cultural exchange. Within the ten schools there are 43 departments, 67 undergraduate programs, 148 master's programs, 103 doctoral programs, and 22 locations for post-doctoral study. In addition, Fudan University is recognized as having 45 national key (outstanding) disciplines, 5 national key laboratories, 57 institutes and 80 research centers. Eight of the undergraduate programs have been designated as the national centers for basic scientific research and teacher training.

The primary concern of Fudan University is to produce well-rounded graduates with talents of a high quality. Therefore, the overlapping and realignment sections of different disciplines are stressed. The three major components of the curriculum are common courses, fundamental courses and specialized courses. These three major components are combined with the requirements that all students should have a "sound basis, wide horizon, high ability, and active creativity" in their major disciplines through effective individual teaching. Students are encouraged to develop their personalities in their systematic study and social practices. Since 1994, the university has implemented the credit system in order to develop students research capabilities and pioneering spirit that will motivate them to conduct field trips and practical activities. All the courses in the curriculum have been revised and renowned professors now direct fundamental courses and supervise basic experiments. Extracurricular study is also emphasized.

The establishment of the "Student Scientific Research Fund" and the "Student Summer Fieldtrip Fund," together with a hundred high-level lectures, a hundred recommended books, a hundred social fieldtrips and experiments in laboratories, constitute the "three hundred plan" which dominates campus activities. By participating in these activities, students can realize their growth in ethics, physics, and esthetics, as well as in other disciplines. This essential-quality-oriented education {EQO} plays a major role in campus life. A severe but characteristic educational system is set up along with other measures, such as, the advisor system and the chief professor system. The university takes pride in its diligent academic atmosphere that requires students to have a correct attitude toward their education and examinations.

Currently, the total enrollment of Fudan University is more than 34,000 students. Under the university motto, namely, "broad scope, perseverant will, pertinent question and profound thinking," students pioneer their studies with fighting spirit and active minds. There is a significant variety of the campus culture and social practices. In 1988 and 1993, as representatives of Chinese universities, Fudan students attended two international debates on the university and college level and were awarded the championship in each contest. In the "Challenge Cup," which tests the students' creativity in each university, Fudan ranked the first in 1995, 1999 and 2001.

Volleyball, shooting and rhythmic gymnastics have been the traditional sports at the university. The male and female university volleyball teams have been frequently ranked in the first national category, Class A. Campus life is enriched by more than 90 student clubs, reflecting a wide range of student interest from drama to painting and calligraphy.

Fudan University's excellent faculty consists of young pioneering researchers and famous senior scholars of significant achievements. The 2,400 faculty members of Fudan University includes l,300 professors and associate professors, of which 21 have been admitted as members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. 500 professors are currently involved in doctoral advisement.

Fudan University is an internationally recognized influential academic center. Since 1995, faculty members of the science departments have published nearly 10,000 academic articles, over 300 books and more than 300 research achievements that have been evaluated by experts. The faculty has received over 200 awards, of which more than 30 are national awards. The university has obtained over 400 scientific patents. In the liberal arts departments, faculty members have published more than 7,100 academic articles, over l,200 books, and have received more than 240 awards at provincial and ministerial levels. In 1999, five of their academic achievements were recognized with awards of excellence given by the first National Philosophical and Social Science Programs.

The university also attaches importance to the international academic exchange activities. Fudan University has established exchange relationships with more than 200 universities and research institutions in about 30 countries and regions.

Fudan University occupies an area of nearly l40 hectares, and its buildings have a total floor space of over l, 000,000, square meters. The university maintains fixed assets of more than l.5 billion yuan (RMB). Currently it has 140 laboratories with advanced instruments and big-sized equipment. The university library has a collection of 4.3 million volumes and subscribes to over 25,000 journals and magazines.

With the arrival of the new century, the university has had a significant opportunity to continue its standard of excellence. During July 1999, the National Ministry of Education has reached an agreement with the Shanghai Municipal Government that provides Fudan University with an increase of a 1.2 billion investment. Fudan University is now focusing on "getting geared to the new century and developing Fudan into one of the world's leading universities." This goal, as set forth by President Jiang Zemin, involves a "three-year action scheme" to build Fudan into a high-level research-oriented university, with a comprehensive range of academic disciplines that will continue to characterize Fudan as one of the top universities in China, and one of the most influential universities in the world.