Fujian Normal  University (FNU), a century-old university based in Fuzhou, a historic cultural  city known as “Land of Culture on the Coast”, is a time-honored and  well-acclaimed provincial institution of higher learning. Founded as Fujian  Superior Normal School in 1907 by the famous late-Qing scholar Chen Baochen, who  once served as the teacher of China’s last emperor, the present day FNU went  through a few changes—merging with the former Hwa-Nan  Women’s College of Arts and Sciences, Fukien Christian University and Fujian  Provincial Teachers School respectively—to form Fujian Teachers College in 1953.  In 1972, the University was renamed Fujian Normal University and has been thus  referred to since then. In 2012, the Ministry of Education and Fujian government  signed an agreement to jointly support the development of the University. In  2014, FNU was designated as a “provincial high-level university for prioritized  construction”.

The vicissitudes in  its century-old history notwithstanding, a fine scholarly tradition has been  inherited and sustained by generation after generation of its faculty and  students. FNU is proud to count among its teaching staff quite a few  internationally renowned scientists and men of letters, including Ye Shengtao,  Guo Shaoyu, Dong Zuobin, Lin Lanying, Zheng Zuoxin, Huang Weiyuan, Tang  Zhongzhang, Tang Chongti, and Yao Jiannian. A traditional and innovative  commitment to academic excellence by its teachers and students alike, unswerving  even at times of trials and adversities, has given rise to a distinctive ethos  embodied in FNU’s motto—To Know and to Act,  with Devotion and with Aspiration. Inspired by its pledge always to “teach  earnestly, study diligently, seek truth and promote innovation,” the University  has been forging ahead and making remarkable achievements, including the title  of “National Civilized Institution” and other high-level titles and honors. As  you sow, so shall you reap. Since its establishment, FNU has graduated over  500,000 talents of various levels and types, thus making a tremendous  contribution to the economic and social development of the province and the  country.

Currently the  University proper consists of  two campuses: Qishan and Cangshan, with a total land area of about 260 hectares.  FNU offers 81 undergraduate programs, of which 74 were open for enrollment in  2016. Currently there are over 20,000 full time undergraduate students, over  7000 graduate students of various types, and 1700-strong teaching and  auxiliary staff in the main  campuses. Its faculty counts 55% full or associate professors and 46.9%  doctorate degree holders. The honorific titles and recognitions received by such  a pool of excellent talents include one member of the  Eurasian Academy of Sciences, three adjunct academicians, two professors and two  young scholars sponsored by Changjiang  Scholar Awards, seven others supported by National Science Fund for Outstanding  Young Scholars or by Program of Global Experts and two more by National Natural  Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars, three members or conveners  of the subject-specific advisory groups under the State Council Commission for  Regulating Academic Degrees, one convener of the Expert Panel of National  Post-Doctor Regulatory  Commission, seven state level young  experts of outstanding achievements, seven faculty members selected by the New  Century Talents Project, three state level excellent teaching groups, two  “Distinguished Teachers”, two “Celebrated Cultural Experts”, two ministerial  level innovation teams, 18 faculty members supported by New Century Excellent  Talents in University, and 125 scholars of State Council Allowance throughout  the years.

The focus on  morality and integrity for professionals and the endeavors in a further  education reform have translated  into a constant upgrading of teaching and research. FNU has been rated A in the  undergraduate teaching evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Education,  winning 16 first or second state level prizes for achievements in teaching over  the years. 18 of FNU-compiled textbooks have been selected as national planned  teaching materials for undergraduate courses in the “12^th Five-Year Plan”.  Other state level recognitions include two comprehensive pilot reform programs;  ten “programs with distinct features”; 24 courses respectively designated as  “best-designed courses”, “best resource sharing”, “best video demonstration”,  “best bilingual demonstration”, etc.; five (virtual  simulation) demonstration  centers for experiment teaching; four innovative experiment zones for talent  training modes; and one education project for outstanding teachers. FNU also  runs personnel training bases—four for state level talents, one for university  counselors, and one for teachers of vocational schools in the priority list of  the Ministry of Education. In the Challenge Cup and other competitions, FNU  students are remarkably successful, winning Grand Prizes, Gold Prizes, and First  Prizes, to name just a few. Three of their doctoral theses have been selected  into China’s Top 100 outstanding doctoral dissertations.

Bringing into full  play the leadership role of its well-established disciplines in turning FNU into  a high-level university, an academic arrangement has been structured of  first-rate Art, advanced Science, and featured Engineering. A balanced and  coordinated development of this wide spectrum of disciplines has given FNU a  distinct identity as a multi-disciplinary comprehensive university. Academic  programs cover 11 subject areas in literature, history, philosophy, physics,  engineering, pedagogy, economics, law, business management, agriculture, and  art. The University has one state key discipline, three provincial innovation  (and cultivation) platforms foradvantage  disciplines of Fujian universities, nine provincial key disciplines with special  features, 26 provincial key disciplines, 19 post-doctoral  research centers, 19 primary discipline doctoral programs, 37 primary discipline  master programs, and 13 professional master programs. In the third-round  national discipline evaluation, six of FNU disciplines were ranked among the top  20 in the country, among which three entered the top 10 list. Chemistry  ranked  among the top 1-percent inESI(Essential Science  Indicators).

Aiming high while  keeping a firm foothold, FNU vigorously promotes collaborative innovation in its  scientific research. At the state level, FNU has a key lab cultivation base, an  engineering research center jointly supported by the state and the provincial  governments, and one “2011” collaborative innovation center (as one of the core  collaborators); at the ministerial and provincial levels, there are 32  scientific platforms, including key labs under the Ministry of Education,  engineering research centers, and research bases for humanities and social  sciences. At the level of provincial universities, FNU owns 21 research units,  such as key labs, engineering research centers, as well as research bases for  humanities and social sciences. Altogether FNU  researchers have won more than 600 awards and prizes, of which 18 are the three  most prestigious national awards (i.e., the State Science Award, the State  Technological Invention Award, and the National Science and  Technology Progress Award), three first prizes for outstanding achievements in  researches of humanities and social sciences in universities, and one first  prize in natural science. In the past five years, among the almost 500 state  level projects of various types and over 3000 other projects undertaken by FNU  researchers, six are major programs sponsored by the National Social Science  Foundation or key programs of  humanities and social sciences research supported by the Ministry of Education,  three academic works have been selected into the achievement library of national  social sciences, and one other has been collected by the China Academic Library  for translation into foreign languages. Meanwhile, FNU makes full use of its  research achievements in the economic and social development by collaborating  with enterprises, facilitating the commercialization of research findings in  various ways. FNU has also developed a number of think tanks featuring the  region and the university, which come through as FNU’s “strategists” on  major practical issues.

Situated in the  core area of the 21^st century Maritime  Silk Road and adjacent to Taiwan, Hongkong and Macao, FNU takes full advantage  of this privileged location to develop its international exchanges and  cooperation. Currently the University has established friendly and cooperative  relations with more than 110 universities and institutions in the USA, UK,  Australia, etc. and with UNESCO, and real cooperation with over 40 universities  in Taiwan have been launched. Teaching Chinese as a foreign language is another  proud achievement FNU has made in recent years. So far 774 volunteers in 14  groups have been sent to 12 countries (the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand,  Vietnam, etc.), two Confucius Institutes established in collaboration with the  Angeles University Foundation of the Philippines and Al Azhar Indonesia  University respectively, and one Confucius classroom opened with the  Boston RenaissanceCharter  PublicSchool, USA. These projects have greatly promoted  FNU’s prestige at home and abroad, one indicator of which is the visit President  Xi Jinping and other state leaders paid to our Confucius Institute in  Al Azhar Indonesia  University on their tour to the country.

FNU publishes a long  list of scholarly journals, including The Journal of Fujian Normal University  (the humanities and social sciences edition), The Journal of Fujian Normal  University (the natural sciences edition), both are designated as “core  periodicals published in Chinese”. The former edition has been listed as one of  the “journals of renowned columns” by the Ministry of Education and the source  journal of Chinese Social  Sciences Citation Index, while the latter  has been selected as one of China’s “core periodicals in science and technology”  and the source journal of Chinese Science  Citation Database. The FNU library,  one of China’s ancient book protection centers, holds a collection of 4 million  paper books and 2 million electronic books. Whereas the number marks it out as  one of the largest libraries in normal universities throughout China, the FNU  library is famed internationally for its impressive collections of ancient  texts, rare books, rubbings of engraved tablets, calligraphic works and  paintings, Fujian’s local cultural and historical documents, early editions of  foreign language publications, and major newspapers published during the  historic period known as the May Fourth Movement. The University boasts a modern  education  technology center, sophisticated and extensively-applicable internet facilities,  and, to provide for various sports games, training, as well as for fitness, a  number of state-of-the-art and well-equipped stadiums and sports fields.  Affiliated to FNU, there are one branch college (in Fuqing City), one high  school and one elementary school. The Affiliated High School of FNU is acclaimed  in the province as the holder of the greatest number of International Science  Olympiad medals.

The chapter of 110  spectacular years has just been turned over.  Upholding its principle of  morality and integrity for professionals, FNU is now devoted to implementing a  comprehensive reform broadly, promoting a connotative development widely, and  enhancing the school quality extensively. The University is taking giant strides  forward, in order to be upgraded into a higher level comprehensive university  with distinct features, to make further contribution to the development of  Fujian province, building it into a region of flexible mechanisms, advanced  industry, affluent people, beautiful ecology, and, in turn, to play a part in  realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese  nation.

（Data above  updated to Sep. 2016）