Zhejiang University (浙江大学, pinyin Zhèjiāng Dàxué) is one of the oldest and leading universities in China, established in 1897 as Qiushi Academy (求是书院, pinyin Q­íushì Shūyuàn). Once known as "Cambridge of the East," Zhejiang University was split up into a number of single-discipline colleges during the 1952 readjustment of China's Tertiary Education System.

In 1998, with the approval of the State Council, the new Zhejiang University was established as a combination of four major universities that had grown up in Hangzhou over the previous half-century, namely Zhejiang University, Hangzhou University, Zhejiang Agricultural University and Zhejiang Medical University .

Under the direct administration of China's Ministry of Education, the new Zhejiang University is a key comprehensive university whose fields of study cover eleven branches of learning, namely philosophy, literature, history, education, science, economics, law, management, engineering, agriculture, and medicine. The university, now has 110 specialties for undergraduate studies, and it is entitled to confer masters degrees in 264 programs and doctoral degrees in 181 programs. Under its administration there are 12 National Key Laboratories, 2 National Engineering Research Centers and 3 National Engineering Technology Centers. Besides, it has set up 24 national key specialties and 39 post-doctoral stations.

Zhejiang University consists of six campuses, namely Yuquan, Xixi, Huajiachi, Hubin, Zhijiang, and Zijingang, occupying a total area of 5,330,000 square meters and a floor space of 2,008,000 square meters. At present, the total number of full time students has reached over 42,845 including 25,071 undergraduates, 11,207 postgraduates working for master's degrees and 5,525 Ph.D. candidates. Among its over 8,272 staff members and workers, there are 12 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 8 members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering , over 1,122 full professors and 2,329 associate professors. With a total space of 59,000 square meters, the university library has a collection of more than 6,177,000 volumes. In additional, the university has 6 affiliated hospitals.

Famous alumni

• Tsung-Dao Lee - physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (physics, 1957)
• Lu Yongxiang - President of Chinese Academy of Science
• Su Buqing - mathematician
• Gu Chaohao - mathematician

See also

• List of universities in Mainland China

External links

• Zhejiang University website
• English language version