Located in the   northwestern suburbs of Beijing, Tsinghua University was established in   1911 on the site of “Qing Hua Yuan (Tsinghua Garden)” —a former royal   garden of the Qing Dynasty. Partly funded by the “Gengzi Indemnity”,   also known as “Boxer Indemnity,” it functioned at first as a preparatory   school called “Tsinghua Xuetang (Tsing Hua Imperial College)” for those   students who were sent by the government to study in the United States.

On April 29, 1911, Tsinghua Xuetang began its first term of study,   and from that year on, the Tsinghua’s anniversary has fallen on the last   Sunday of April. The name was changed to “Tsinghua Xuexiao   (Tsing Hua College)” after the 1911 Revolution.

In 1925, Tsinghua launched its four-year undergraduate programme. In   1928, its name was changed to “Guoli Tsinghua Daxue (National Tsinghua   University),” and in the autumn of 1929 its graduate school was set up.

Following the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan in   1937, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Nankai University   merged to form the National Southwest Associated University in Kunming.   After the war, Tsinghua University moved back to its original Beijing   campus.

Three years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, a   nationwide restructuring of institutes of higher education began, and in   1952, Tsinghua University became a multidisciplinary polytechnic   university specializing in training engineers. In November of that year,   the Ministry of Education appointed Jiang Nanxiang as President.

Since 1978, Tsinghua University has strengthened its teaching in   sciences, economic management, humanities and law. In 1999, Tsinghua   opened the School of Arts and Design by merging with the Central Academy   of Arts and Design. In 2012, the Graduate School of the People's Bank   of China (PBC) merged into Tsinghua University as Tsinghua University   PBC School of Finance. Today, Tsinghua has become  a world-leading comprehensive university that offers subject areas in  engineering, science, economics, management, art, medicine, philosophy, law,  literature, history and education. Students are provided diversified  development paths to advance their critical thinking and entrepreneurship  through research-based learning. 

Over the past over 100 years, Tsinghua University has witnessed and   shared the hardships and glories of the nation. The University’s motto   of “Self-discipline and Social Commitment” has inspired many generations   of Tsinghua teachers and students to struggle for the prosperity of   China.

In 2017, Tsinghua  officially released its "Double First-Class (First-Class University &  First-Class Disciplines)" development plan. As one of China’s most  prestigious and influential universities, Tsinghua is committed to cultivating  global citizens who will thrive in today’s world and become tomorrow’s leaders.  Through the pursuit of education and research at the highest level of  excellence, Tsinghua is developing innovative solutions that will help solve  pressing problems in China and the world.

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