Brief Introduction

Hebei University (HBU), a key comprehensive university, is co-constructed by Ministry of Education and the People’s Government of Hebei Province. It is one of the first-level universities participating in China’s Double First-class Plan, with strong support from Hebei Provincial Government.

HBU was originally founded as Tianjin Industrial and Commercial University in 1921, located at No.141, Machang Road, Tianjin City. At the very beginning, it was established as a university offering undergraduate education. It adhered to the mission of “cultivating promising young people in China, establishing a university with moral and intellectual education, and promoting China’s modernization”. It was committed to cultivating industrial and business talents. In 1933, it was renamed Tianjin Industrial and Commercial College. The tradition of “seeking truth from facts” was established during this period. During the Anti-Japanese War, it remained in Tianjin, gathered famous teachers, and enjoyed a great reputation. Since then, it has taken different names, such as Private Jingu University, National Jingu University, Tianjin Normal College, and Tianjin Normal University. In 1960, the People’s Government of Hebei Province decided to build a comprehensive university with a provincial name, thus, Tianjin Normal University was rebuilt into Hebei University. In 1970, it was relocated to Baoding City, Hebei Province. Hebei Medical Staff College as well as its affiliated hospital were incorporated into Hebei University in 2005. Although it has changed its name several times and has undergone several changes, its history has never been interrupted. Now, it has developed into influential comprehensive university.

The construction and development of the school has received strong support from the Hebei Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Government and the Ministry of Education and other national ministries and commissions. In 2002, it became one of the five universities in the country supported by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education. In 2005, it became one co-constructed by Ministry of Education, the People’s Government of Hebei Province. In 2012, it ranked among the national project of “Middle and Western Higher Education Revitalization Plan”, and became one of the 14 universities in the “Middle and Western Universities to Enhance Comprehensive Strength Project” across the country. In 2016, it became a key construction university of “One province, One university” in the central and western regions of the country. In the same year, it was listed as a double first-class university with key support by Hebei Province. In 2018, the Ministry of Education and the People’s Government of Hebei Province signed “the Agreement on the Joint Construction of Hebei University by Ministries and Provinces”. In 2020, Hebei Province formulated an implementation plan to support the joint construction of Hebei University with the Ministry of Education. Taking this as an opportunity, HBU has made great efforts to promote the cultural tourism industry, pharmaceutical industry and modern green industry in Hebei Province, to construct the Yanzhao cultural discipline group, the life science and green development discipline group, and has made significant progresses in the protection and development of the Yanzhao culture, the ecological management of the Baiyangdian Lake Basin and other fields.

It embraces 12 major specialties including philosophy, economics, law, pedagogy, literature, history, science, engineering, agronomy, medicine, management and art. It has 85 undergraduate programs, 1 national key (cultivation) discipline, 17 first-level disciplines authorized to offer doctor degree, 44 first-level disciplines authorized to offer master’s degrees, 36 professional master’s degree programs, 13 post-doctoral research mobile stations, 1 post-doctoral scientific research workstation. Its chemistry, materials science, engineering, clinical medicine and plant & animal science have entered the top 1% of ESI’s world rankings.

HBU has established a complete education system offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs. Currently there are more than 28,000 registered undergraduate students, 11,000 doctoral candidates and postgraduates. HBU has 1 national teaching team, 2 national teaching masters, 41 national first-class undergraduate programs, 21 national first-class undergraduate courses, 3 national ideological and political demonstration courses, 4 national “new engineering”, 5 “new liberal arts” projects, 1 national experimental teaching center, 14 national “Quality Project” projects, 1 national comprehensive reform pilot major, 12 national “undergraduate teaching projects”, and 2 national crowd-creation spaces. 3 disciplines have passed the professional certification of the Ministry of Education. The university also boasts the National Cultural Quality Education Base, Further Educational Base for professional and technical personnel, China Yan’an Spirit Educational Base, national language promotion base, national model university for graduate employment, national model university for innovation and entrepreneurship,  national demonstration university for innovation and entrepreneurship education reform and  a national pilot university of “one-stop” student community comprehensive management construction.

HBU insists on running the university with talents and implements the “Kunyu Scholars Project”. There are 3,416 faculty members, including 2,148 teachers. 66.1% of them have a doctorate degree.  There are 50 state-level talents who are academicians of the two academies, winners of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, members of the National 10 Thousand Talents Program, winners of National Teaching Master, candidates of National Baiqianwan Talents Program, National Young and Middle-aged Experts with Outstanding Contributions or State Council Special Allowance Experts. There are also 252 provincial-ministerial specialists with the title of Yanzhao Scholars or Provincial Outstanding Experts. Up till now, 5 scholars of HBU have been ranked as the Most Cited Chinese Researchers by Elsevier, 18 ranked as Global Top 2% Scientists.

It has constructed 3 National Joint Engineering Laboratories, 1 key laboratory of the Ministry of Education, 1 engineering research center of the Ministry of Education, 1 Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, 1 national key laboratory and 2 research institutes co-founded with state-owned enterprises, 28 provincial key laboratories (bases) and engineering laboratories, 24 Key Research Institutes (centers) of Humanities and Social Sciences of Hebei Province. , 5 Hebei 2011 Collaborative Innovation Centers, 3 Collaborative Innovation Center jointly built by Ministry of Education and Hebei Province. In recent years, HBU has undertaken 11 key projects of National Social Science Funds, and 4 major research projects of the Ministry of Education. 3 social science research results were selected into the “National Philosophy and Social Science Achievements Library”. In the “Nature” China Nature Index, it ranks 84th among domestic universities.

With an open mind, HBU has established cooperative ties with over 100 high-level universities across the world. It has the first non-independent legal, entity to host a Sino-foreign cooperative education program in Hebei Province, and has successively hosted 3 Confucius Institutes in South America, Asia, and Africa. HBU has established a complete education system offering bachelor’s master’s and doctoral programs. It is a pilot university designated by Training and Research Center for Overseas Study of Ministry of Education, and the first one qualified to receive Chinese government scholarships in Hebei Province. It offers ISEC Programs, and is also a Chinese Education Base, authorized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, first university in Hebei Province.

HBU has gone through the vicissitudes of 100 years since its establishment. Over the past 100 years, generations of scholars have devoted themselves to teaching and research, and generations of students have worked hard to learn and serve the country. Hua Nangui, Ma Feng, Gu Sui, Wu Yuru, Pei Xuehai, Zhang Gong, Gao Jingying, Teng Dachun, Zhang Biao, Lei Shiyu, Zhan Bing, Qi Xia and other senior scholars taught here and trained more than 400,000 talents, who have made positive contributions to serving the country’s prosperity, national rejuvenation, and people’s happiness.

Standing at a new century-old starting point, HBU will insist the guidance by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, adhere to the ideal of “running the school with quality, talents, services and law”. We will accelerate HBU’s “double first-class” construction, continuously improve our competences in talent training, scientific research, social services, cultural inheritance and innovation, and international exchange and cooperation, strive to build an internationally renowned high-level comprehensive university with characteristics as soon as possible.