Xiangtan University (XTU) is a comprehensive university selected in the Double First-Class University list, which was founded in accordance with Chairman Mao Zedong’s initiative in 1958. On September 10, 1958, Chairman Mao Zedong inscribed the Chinese characters of Xiangtan university and told its faculty members to“MakeItAGoodOne”. In 1974, Deng Xiaoping, Li Xiannian, and other national leaders approved the resumption of its academic activities. In 1978, the State Council designated XTU as one of the 16 comprehensive National Key Universities in China. In 1981, it became one of the first universities qualified to confer master’s degree. Since then, Hua Guofeng, Jiang Zemin, Li Peng and other national leaders have successively visited, showing great care and support for XTU. On September 6, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an important instruction that he wished Xiangtan University to be much better and characterized as a university located in the hometown of Chairman Mao Zedong. In February 2022, XTU was selected in the Double First-Class University list.
XTU has been steadily developing to obtain more scientific achievements since its foundation. It was selected in the Double First-Class University list and jointly supported by the People's Government of Hunan Province, the Ministry of Education and the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence. It was also one of the few Chinese universities listed inTHE,USNEWS and other famous world university rankings at the same time.
XTU has a graduate school, 23 colleges/teaching departments, offering 9 major disciplines: literature, history, philosophy, science, engineering, economics, management, law, and art. The Mathematical discipline is listed in the world’s First-Class Disciplines project. The disciplines of chemistry, materials science, engineering, and mathematics are among the world’s top 1% according to the Essential Science Indicators (ESI). Seven disciplines are among the 2019 Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. XTU has 3 national key disciplines, 5 domestic First-Class Constructed Disciplines, 10 domestic First-Class Cultivated Disciplines, 16 first-level disciplines authorized to confer a doctor’s degree, 31 first-level disciplines authorized to confer a master’s degree, 19 professional master’s programs, 15 post-doctoral research centers. It also has 41 national level and 15 provincial level First-Class Undergraduate Programs, 11 national level and 23 provincial level Characteristic Majors, 1 national level and 8 provincial level Comprehensive Reform Pilot Majors, and 12 majors were accredited by the China Engineering Education Accreditation Association.
XTU has a National Applied Mathematics Center, a National Base for International Science and Technology Cooperation, 2 National-Local United Engineering Laboratories, a National-Local United Engineering Research Center, 2 Key Research Bases for Humanities and Social Sciences under the Ministry of Education, a Research Base for Innovation and Development of Red Tourism under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 3 Key Laboratories of the Ministry of Education, 2 Engineering Research Centers of the Ministry of Education, 1 Collaborative Innovation Center supported by the Ministry of Education and Hunan Province, 3 Hunan 2011 Collaborative Innovation Centers, 2 Hunan Provincial Professional and Characteristic Think Tanks. It also has 4 innovative teams of the Ministry of Education, 5 innovative research groups supported by Hunan Natural Science Fund, 3 innovation teams for Huxiang Preeminent Talents Gathering Program, 8 scientific and technological innovation teams from universities in Hunan Province. XTU is one of the first universities being honored as National Experimental Institution for Collaborative Application of Patents, National Intellectual Property Service Center in Universities, Hunan Provincial Intellectual Property Center in Universities.
XTU has a total of 1,645 full-time teachers. 76% of these teachers hold professional titles or a doctor’s degree, and 25% of them used to study abroad. There are a large number of preeminent teachers and research teams at XTU, including 5memebersof the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 1 representative of the Recruitment Program of Global Experts, 4 candidates of the Ten Thousand Talents Plan, 6 scholars of the Chang Jiang Scholars Program, 4 scholars supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, 4 participants of the Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Project, 4 National Model Teachers, 5 National Outstanding Teachers, 3 National Preeminent Teachers, 1 Feng Kang Prize winner, 2 Young Elites in Publicizing Ideology and Culture, 1 National Outstanding Science and Technology Expert, 1 National Pioneering Expert of Intellectual Property, 1 National Pioneering Expert of Patent Information, and 1 teaching group honored as National Huang Danian-style Faculty Team.
In recent years, XTU has obtained remarkable achievements in applying for national projects. The amount of funds received from the National Social Science Foundation of China ranked about 26 among all universities in China. According to statistics from Renmin University of China, the Amount of Cited and Reprinted Articles and Composite Index of Social Science Papers of XTU ranked top 3% nationwide. There are 7 think tanks of XTU selected in the China Think Tank Index (CTTI). XTU has achieved more than 120 awards including the National Natural Science Award, National Scientific and Technological Advancement Award, Outstanding Scientific Research Achievements Award for higher educational institutions awarded by the Ministry of Education, Hunan Science and Technology Award, and Hunan Social Science Achievements Award. XTU provides exceptional research bases and facilities, including exclusive workplaces for academicians, Innovative Research Institutes and so on. In the past five years, XTU has signed more than 1600 cooperative agreements on research and its application in industries, and applied for 2,351 patents.
XTU has a total of 33,433 enrolled full-time students, including 8,886 graduate students and doctoral students. It offers a Base for Top Students in Basic Disciplines Training Program 2.0 of the Ministry of Education, National Training Base for Outstanding Legal Elites, National Pilot Zone for Innovative Teaching Methods, 3 National Teaching Experiment and Demonstration Centers, and National Cultural and Moral Education Base for College Students. XTU is the implementation institution for National Innovative Experimental Program for College Students, one of the first Model Universities for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Reform, National Model University for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Experiences, National Model University for Graduate Employment. Sinceits founding, XTU has had nearly 310,000 alumni, and many of them have contributed a lot for national construction and social progress.
XTU enjoys an increasing global reputation. It has cooperated with more than 70 universities and research institutions from more than 20 countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and so on, and launched more than 30 international cooperative training programs. XTU was selected in the China-Africa Universities 20+20 Cooperation Plan initiated by the Ministry of Education, and the University Alliance of Belt and Road. It jointly established Confucius institutes with Leon University in Spain and Makerere University in Uganda respectively.
Mountains rise high, and rivers run deep. Under the guidance of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, XTU will implement the spirit of general secretary Xi’s important instructions, promote the XTU spirit of keeping in mind the entrustment, making pioneering effort, and pursuing excellence. As a university located in the hometown of Chairman Mao Zedong, XTU will be a socialist university with Chinese characteristics, accelerate the Double First-Class construction, and make greater contribution in realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.
Immediate attention
