Beijing Jiaotong University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Beijing Jiaotong University**

Motto	Knowledge and Action (Chinese: 知行； pinyin: Zhī Xíng)
Established	1896
Type	Public Coeducational
President	Tan Zhenhui (Chinese: 谈振辉； pinyin: Tán Zhènhūi)
Staff	1,200
Undergraduates	7,100
Postgraduates	3,800
Location	Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
Campus	Urban
Colors	Orange
Website	Beijing Jiaotong University

Beijing Jiaotong University (Chinese:北京交通大学; pinyin: Běijīng Jiāotōng Dàxúe)， formerly known as Northern Jiaotong University (Chinese: 北方交通大学; pinyin: Běifāng Jiāotōng Dàxúe), is a university in Beijing, China.

The university is a national key university directly under the Ministry of Education and its campus is located in the vicinity of Xizhimen in Beijing in the Haidian District. The university sits adjacent to Beijing Normal University.

1 History
2 Present
3 Societies
4 Notable alumni
5 External links

[edit] History

The earliest history of Beijing Jiaotong University goes back to the Shanhaiguan Beiyang Railway School and Nanyang Public School, both founded by the government of the Qing Dynasty in 1896.

On this basis, the Department of Telecommunication of the Qing government founded the Beijing Railway Management School and Beijing Telecommunication School in September 1909. In 1921, the two schools merged with two technical schools in Shanghai and Tangshan to form Jiaotong University, which had three campuses in Beijing, Shanghai and Tangshan, respectively. The Beijing campus was named Beijing School of Jiaotong University.

After the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the government detached the Beijing campus from Jiaotong University and named it Northern Jiaotong University. Mao Zedong appointed Mao Yisheng (no relation), a preeminent expert on bridge design, as the president of the university. In 1951, Mao Zedong manually wrote the name of the university in Chinese characters in the Chinese calligraphic tradition, and the characters written as such were meant to be used on the plaque on top of the gate of the campus and in official logos of the university. According to the Chinese tradition, it is a special honor to get the handwritten name of one's institute or organization from a high-ranking government leader. In 1981, the university started to offer master and Ph.D. programs.

In April 2000, Northern Jiaotong University merged with the Beijing Advanced Electric Power Technical School and came under the direct administration of the Ministry of Education.

In September 2003, the university was renamed Beijing Jiaotong University to make the relationship between the university and the city more pronounced.

[edit] Present

As of 2005, Beijing Jiaotong University has under its banner:

Electronic Information Engineering Institute
Computer and Informational Technology Institute
Economy Management Institute
Communication and Transportation Institute
Civil Engineering and Architecture Institute
Mechanical and Electronic Control Engineering Institute
Electric Power Institute
Physical Sciences Institute
Humanities and Social Sciences Institute
Long-Distance and Continued Education Institute
Graduate School

Altogether, the university has 22 research institutes and research centers, and 39 laboratories which include the transportation system simulation laboratory and transportation automation laboratory, which are the best of their kinds in China.

The university library has a million books, 3000 Chinese and foreign journals, as well as numerous documents on microfiche, audio- and video-documents on various modern media.

There are about 19,000 full-time students on the campus, of whom are 3,800 graduate students working on master or Ph.D. programs, 100 international students, and 8,000 engaged in correspondence programs, night-schools, and other full-time programs.

There are 1200 faculty members and scientists at the university among whom are 7 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, 212 full professors, and 442 associate professors.

There is also prominent Mao Zedong statue in the campus square.

[edit] Societies

The students at Beijing Jiaotong University are active in a variety of societies that enrich their campus life in addition to their normal academic activities.

The societies on the campus can be divided into four categories:

Academic Societies

15 societies which, among others, include Science Fiction Society, Foreign Languages Society, Literature Society, Computer Science Application Society

Volunteers Societies

13 societies which include Red Cross Society, Journalist Society, Psychological Health Society

Art Societies

11 societies which include Film Society, Television Society, New Dance Society, Magicians' Society, Calligraphy and Painting Society

Sports Societies

16 societies which include Bridge Society, Soccer Society, Tennis Society, Baseball Society, Cyclists' Society, Aircraft Model Society, Bodybuilding Society