It is a comprehensive key university directly under the Ministry of Education. Its history can be traced back to the original Huazhong Institute of Technology established in Wuhan in 1952, the Shanghai German Medical School (predecessor of Tongji University) founded by German physician Erich Paulun in 1907, and the original Central South School of Architecture and Engineering established in Mount Lu, Jiangxi province in the 1950s. The three schools merged to form Huazhong University of Science and Technology on May 26, 2000.
History
After the 1949 Revolution, Wuhan was designated the leading city of the Central South region, one of six geographical divisions in China. The Huazhong Institute of Technology, established in 1953, was envisioned as a major national polytechnic institution, akin to Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Jiao Tong University, and Chongqing University within their respective regions. Under the leadership of Zhu Jiusi, the institute rapidly developed into a significant technological university during the 1950s.[3]
In 1958, the institute expanded its scope by introducing programmes in basic and applied sciences, including mathematics, physics, and chemistry. However, these efforts were disrupted by the Cultural Revolution, which began in 1966. When Zhu Jiusi returned to the campus in 1970, he found the university largely abandoned and occupied by local farmers. He initiated efforts to rebuild the institution, recruiting scholars from top universities across China who had been sent to the countryside during the upheaval.[3]
Following the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, Deng Xiaoping’s return to power in 1978 marked a new era for higher education. That same year, Zhu Jiusi presented a report at a national meeting emphasising the dual importance of universities as centres for both research and teaching. After retiring in 1984, Zhu remained an influential figure in shaping China’s higher education.[3]
In 1998, China launched Project 985 to develop world-class universities. Initially, the institution was not selected in the first batch. To improve its prospects, the Wuhan municipal government proposed merging the institute with Wuhan University. Following mediation by Education Minister Chen Zhili, a compromise was reached: Tongji Medical University and Wuhan Urban Construction University were merged into the institution and the institution was renamed as the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, while Wuhan University was consolidated with three other local universities. Both newly merged universities were subsequently included in Project 985.[3]
Since the 1990s, the university has spearheaded the establishment of a state laboratory in opto-electronics, which later evolved into the Optics Valley, a prominent high-tech development zone near its campus.[3]
Liu Sifeng, the Marie-Curie Fellow (UK), IEEE Fellow and the renowned expert of grey systems. He was one of the 10 shortlisted promising scientists in the MSCA (EU-funded Marie Curie Actions) 2017 Prizes.
