Educational excellence showcased in Shanghai

Fudan University upholds mission of fostering talent for the country over 120 years

A collective space called the Original Site of Fudan University was opened on Sunday to showcase the university's 120-year history of educating talent for the nation, pioneering in innovation, and going from strength to strength.

The area consists of Fudan University History Museum, Fudan University Museum, Fudan Art Museum, Fudan University Science and Technology Innovation Museum, Fudan University Special Collections Archives, and Fudan Alumni House.

Integrating historical, cultural, innovative, exemplary and aesthetic perspectives, this collective space is intended to become a display and communication center of modern Chinese education as well as a hub for spiritual heritage rooted in Shanghai.

Located within Fudan University's Handan Road campus, the Original Site of Fudan University is hailed as the birthplace of the school campus and the fountain of Fudan spirit, representing a historical and cultural legacy in modern Chinese education history. The area is the site where Li Denghui, a former president of Fudan University, established the original Jiangwan campus of the school in 1922.

Fudan University was China's earliest institution of higher education established entirely by Chinese people with public fundraising. In 1905, amid the suffering and challenges of modern China and the clash of Chinese and Western cultures, Fudan was founded in Shanghai. Over the past 120 years, Fudan University has upheld the mission of educating talent for the country, and has improved itself through several relocations and mergers, striving for excellence and innovation.

The historical building complex of the Original Site of Fudan University was recognized among the eighth batch of national-level architectural heritages from the 20th century in 2023. At the end of that year, the school began the revitalization and functional development of this cultural education zone by renovating old buildings and constructing new ones.

Tao Weishuo, deputy head of the information department of Fudan University, said: "The university aims for such museums to comprehensively showcase Fudan's identity and spirit, encompassing aspects of technological innovation, cultural heritage and humanistic qualities among others."

First-time exhibits

The inaugural exhibitions feature significant memorials from the university's 120-year journey. Items, such as Ma Xiangbo's inkstone, embroidered robes, and textbooks compiled by him, are showcased, offering a glimpse into the legacy of Fudan's founding figure. They also include bowls made and presented by teachers and students to Ma on his 100th birthday and commemorative badges of him that are exhibited not far from the entrance of Fudan University History Museum, which has an exhibition area of 2,150 square meters and a maximum capacity of 600 visitors.

"Ma was the first in the history of Chinese education to propose the establishment of a Chinese university that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in Europe and the United States, which pointed the way for the development of modern higher education in China and the growth of Fudan University," said Zhang Guowei, a researcher at the Fudan University Archives.

He said first-time exhibits also include the first-ever statue of former Fudan president Li Denghui. "Li was one of the most important founders of Fudan University that everyone talks about. He directly led Fudan from 1913 through 1936. He dedicated his entire life to Fudan, yet there was previously no statue or memorial for him on campus."

Liu Xiaoxu, an associate researcher at the Fudan University Archives, said Li played a crucial role in transforming Fudan University from the brink of collapse to becoming a representative university in East China.

"During his tenure, a complete educational system was established, ranging from middle school to university and research institutes. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), many school buildings of Fudan University in Shanghai were demolished and students scattered. Li sold his own properties to raise funds and insisted on continuing education," she said.

The display also features historical documents, such as a graduation diploma from 1909. The diploma was donated by Zhang Shousheng, a tenured professor at Stanford University and an alumnus of the physics department. Its original owner is his grandfather, Zhang Yi. In its first six years, Fudan issued only 57 graduation diplomas.

Visitors can witness Fudan's pioneering contributions to modern Chinese higher education in the display, including the enrollment of the first graduate student in 1923, the admission of female students in 1927, and the conferral of an honorary PhD degree in 1930. Such initiatives underscored the university's progressive approach to academia and its significant effect on China's intellectual landscape.

In the exhibition halls, visitors can see that among the more than 9,000 graduates of Fudan University between September 1905 and May 1949, 28 later became university presidents and 15 became members and academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering or first-level professors in several universities.

International exchanges

The exhibition also showcases Fudan's internationalization, from becoming one of the first Chinese universities to host foreign students — among whom some became experts in Chinese studies — to sending young teachers abroad for further studies.

As reform and opening-up continued to widen, Fudan's doors opened to the world. Political leaders from various countries have toured Fudan's campus. Among them was former US president Ronald Reagan.

On April 30, 1984, Reagan visited Fudan University and delivered a speech, becoming the first US president to visit a Chinese university and speak there. Reagan also entered a classroom with Xie Xide, then president of Fudan University, and took students' queries.

Reagan sent a congratulatory letter for Fudan's 80th anniversary in 1985, stating that both China and the US could benefit from scientific and educational exchanges, and that the faculty and students of Fudan would play an important role in the exchanges between the two nations.

World-renowned philosopher Juergen Habermas, several Nobel Prize laureates and former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger have also visited Fudan University to engage with faculty and students.

In 1985, under the initiative and leadership of Xie, the first institution within a Chinese university to be dedicated to US studies — the Center for American Studies, Fudan University — was officially established. Since then, Fudan has made a unique contribution to educational, cultural and interpersonal exchanges between China and the US, playing a special role in bilateral relations.

In the exhibition hall, there is a dedicated space for Xie, recreating the scene of her typing recommendation letters for students to study abroad using an English typewriter in her office. She did her utmost to send outstanding Fudan students abroad, with the philosophy of "sending teachers and students out, and bringing knowledge back".

With a growing emphasis on global engagement since the beginning of this century, Fudan University has expanded its cooperation network, enhancing its international influence. It has established partnerships with approximately 450 universities and research institutions from 53 countries or regions, and initiated and participated in various international university organizations. Since 2000, the proportion of undergraduate students from Fudan going abroad for exchange exceeded 30 percent.