Happy 116th Birthday, CCNU!

CCNU is a key comprehensive university directly under the administration of the Chinese Ministry of Education. Its history can trace back to Wenhua Academy which was founded in 1871 and starting from the year of 1903 when Wenhua Academy established its first undergraduate education department, CCNU has witnessed 116 years of vicissitudes and striving. Today is CCNU’s 116th birthday!

In the year of 1949, in order to transform young intellectuals into revolutionary intellectuals and soldiers, “Zhongyuan University” was founded by Zhongyuan Administrations after receiving the approval from the CPC Central Committee.

In the initial stage of the founding of Zhongyuan University, in September, 1948, according to Deng Xiaoping’s advice and requests, the Central Committee decided to designate fourteen comrades from North China University to Zhongyuan University as a way to strengthen its leadership and teacher resources. In the meanwhile, Central Committee appointed Fan Wenlan as the president of Zhongyuan University.

 A photo of first graduates from Zhongyuan University in Baofeng, Henan province in 1948. 

On 16th August, 1951, Central-South Military and Administrative Commission formally decided to combine the Pedagogical College of Zhongyuan University and privately-run Huazhong University into Huazhong University and set up “Reform Committee of Huazhong University”. Thus the university was reformed into higher normal school and was located at Tanhualin，Wuchang.

In the autumn of 1952，the national colleges and universities started to rearrange their departments. Our university was temporarily called “Huazhong Higher Normal School”. Later the scale was expanded and the departments and disciplines were perfected gradually. The Ministry of Education, Central-South Military and Administrative Commission reported to the Ministry of Higher Education of Central Committee to classify the Huazhong Higher Normal School as a normal college officially. On 24th October of the same year, it was renamed as “Huazhong Teachers College”.

Part of the works complied by teachers of CCNU

Graduates of class 1977 from the Geography Department

Graduates of class 1977 took an educational internship（took in 1981）

On 5th August, 1985, Central China Normal College was formally entitled “Central China Normal University”.

Celebration of the first Teachers’ Day and name alteration conference in 1985

On 15th August, 1985, Headmaster Zhang Kaiyuan proposed, “We should assign people to Beijing, and asked Deng Xiaoping to inscribe the name of our university”. The idea was accepted by all school leaders as this proposal reflected all CCNUers’ wishes.

Opening Ceremony of 1980 Freshman was held by Central China Normal College

On 25th August, 1985, after attending the national party congress and dealing with foreign affairs, Deng Xiaoping looked through The History of Zhongyuan University manuscript again and joyfully inscribed the six characters 华中师范大学 (Central China Normal  University) on 20th November, 1985. 

From Zhongyuan University to the Public Huazhong University, and then Huazhong Higher Normal School, from Central China Normal College to Central China Normal University, CCNU becomes stronger and exerts efforts to build up a world-class university step by step.

Vargo, W.H.O. president, delivered a lecture in Biology Department

Zhang Kaiyuan met with American students

An art exhibition held by the School of Fine arts

China and us youth are all at the most beautiful age. In the past 70 years, PRC went through a lot. This year is a milestone combining the past and the future. We are never afraid of the potential obstacles. Following the forerunners’ footsteps, CCNUers are determined to devoted themselves to the new era.

CCNU, Happy 116th Birthday！

Previous works

Sources：Archives of CCNU

Photos：Huada Photo

Commentator：Joey

Video：Zhang Yanping, Pumpkin

Editor：Lian Yu

Reviser：Sarah and Lily

Designer：Wang Youming

Typesetting：Beibier