Shanghai University

Shanghai University in the 1920s

Shanghai University was founded on Qingyun Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai in 1922 and was the outcome of the cooperation between the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) and the Communist Party. Yu Youren, a notable member of Kuomintang, was the first president of the university. At the time under the revolutionary government led by Sun Yat-sen, Shanghai University was the top school in liberal arts, while Whampoa Military Academy was the elite academy for military training. However, Shanghai University became dominated by left wing factions sympathetic to the Chinese Communist Party. As a result, Shanghai University was closed in 1927 during the anti-Communist purges of Chiang Kai-shek (at the start of the Chinese Civil War). The old campus was destroyed during World War II.

Motto written by Weichang Chien

In 1983, the People's Republic of China government re-established Shanghai University by combining a number of existing tertiary and vocational institutions in Shanghai, including branches of Fudan University, East China Normal University, Shanghai University of Science & Technology, Shanghai Foreign Language Institute, Shanghai Mechanics College, Shanghai Fine Arts College, and the Shanghai College of Law. The university inherited the traditional focus of liberal arts, fine arts, business and law. Like many modern metropolitan universities, at the time of its re-foundation the university lacked a traditional central campus, but used a number of teaching sites spread throughout Shanghai contributed by the various tertiary and vocational institutions which had been merged to form the new university.

In 1994, a new Shanghai University was created by consolidating Shanghai University of Technology, Shanghai University of Science & Technology (上海科技大学), the existing Shanghai University (上海大学) and Shanghai Science & Technology College.

Shanghai University of Technology was once Shanghai Institute of Technology (上海工学院), founded in 1960 with a strong background of engineering, technology and industries. The institute was renamed Shanghai University of Technology in 1979. The university was located at Yanchang Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai. Professor Weichang Chien was the president of the university since 1982 and eventually led to the consolidated Shanghai University in 1994.

Shanghai University of Science & Technology was formed by the East China Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 1958 with a close relationship to the academic and science institutes. The university was located at Chengzhong Road, Jiading District, Shanghai.

Xing Jian Building (行健楼) in Yanchang Campus

Shanghai Science & Technology College was once Shanghai No. 2 Science & Technology School established in 1959, and the school became a college in 1981.

The new Baoshan Campus, located at Shangda Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai, was constructed as the main campus of the consolidated Shanghai University. The other two campuses are the Yanchang Campus located in Jing'an District, and the Jiading Campus located in Jiading District.

Appointed by Deng Xiaoping, physicist and theoretical mechanician Qian Weichang became the president of the Shanghai University in 1982. Qian Weichang was one of the "Three Qians" (the other two are Qian Sanqiang and Qian Xuesen), who were the three scientists surnamed Qian that contributed massly to the foundation of the modern Chinese academia. He later became the longest serving president in any university in the China, a total of 28 years from 1982 he assumed office until his death in 2010. He was a well-known scientist in China, a senior fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Qian Weichang introduced a lot of reforms in the Shanghai University such as the transition to a quarterly academic calendar, the founding of an honors undergraduate college and the Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, etc. His academic stature and personal charisma also attracted a lot of reputable researchers to join Shanghai University or to start research cooperations with the university. His death was deemed as a great loss to the university and the academia in general. President Qian's legacy is engraved deeply in the university. Many arrangements in the university after his death are designed to honor him or in the "Qian Weichang spirit".

In 2011, the vice president Luo Hongjie acted as the interim president until 2012, when he was appointed to be the next president. In 2011, he introduced the Residential College to the Shanghai University, where all newly matriculated undergraduates do not choose majors and receive general education until the end of the freshmen year.

In 2015, Chinese Academy of Engineering fellow Jin Donghan became the new president of the university. In the same year, Shanghai Film Academy was founded as a new academic branch of the university. And speculations of the intention of the university to found a new School of Medicine got widespread and partially confirmed after the university was hiring faculty to the school.

In 2019, former East China University of Science and Technology vice president, Chinese Academy of Sciences fellow Liu Changshen became the new president. A new school, the School of Mechanics and Engineering Sciences was founded.

The Shanghai University has 3178 full-time faculties, in which there are 741 full professors and 983 associate professors. 72% of the faculty holds a doctoral degree. The university also hosts 16 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The president Liu Changsheng himself is a CAE member specializing in material science. There are another 90 professors who hold endowed or distinguished titles on other levels.

According to the 2020 Web of Science highly cited researchers list, there are 9 professors from Shanghai University listed, making SHU the third largest home institute for top 1% highly cited researchers in Shanghai, after Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University. The 2020 Essential Science Indicators also shows that 9 disciplines in Shanghai University are in the top 1% in world universities. They are engineering, material science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, bioscience, environmental science, and medicine.

The Ministry of Education designated four academic disciplines in the Shanghai University as "National Key Disciplines", including Metallurics, Mechatronics, Fluid Dynamics, and Sociology.

The Shanghai University actively engages in and contributes to the international academic community. The SHU Global department has established cooperation with a wide range of universities around the world, creating opportunities for established and young scholars to visit SHU as professors, research associates, and post-doctoral researchers, as well as offering students and faculties the incentive and chance to go on international exchanges. Moreover, the university also enrolls more than 4,500 international students annually.

The school is founded jointly by Shanghai University and French leading Grandes Écoles in 2006. It is a platform of Sino-French and Sino-European teaching and research cooperation in the field of engineering. Students with better grades can switch to a French Diplôme d'Ingénieur program after 3 years of study in the school. It offers 4 undergraduate programs including Information Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Biological Engineering and Material Science Engineering.

Founded in 1994, the school is one of the earliest Sino-foreign institutes. Based on the comprehensive advantages of Shanghai University and University of Technology, Sydney, it adopts a bilingual teaching in English and Chinese. The school offers bachelor's degrees in 5 majors, namely, International Economics and Trade, Business Management, Information Management & Information System, Finance and Accounting.

The Shanghai University witnessed a quick increase in global rankings in the recent decade, cementing its place as the top university under 50 in China. As early as in 2012, the QS World University Rankings was the first organization to recognize Shanghai University as one of the top institutions in mainland China. Interestingly, this result caused a public outcry in China on the validity of such rankings, most stated disbelief of such accomplishment for a university founded less than 30 years ago. But soon, the Academic Ranking of World Universities followed the trend, securing Shanghai University in the global top 600 in 2017, and top 300 in 2021.In addition, the major of economics is a traditional major of Shanghai University, and it has been awarded the A+ level, ranking among the top 5% of all universities in the country that set up economics disciplines.

• Ancient Books Reading Room: Collecting "Imperial Collection of Four" ("Si Ku Quan Shu") and the Qing dynasty thread-bound ancient books.
• Hong Kong & Taiwan Book Collections: Containing 15,000 books, magazines, and newspapers published in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
• Shanghai Writer's Works Display Room: Collecting 1,500 celebrity authors' books.
• Fine Arts Reading Room: Containing nearly 10,000 books to support the faculty and students from the College of Fine Arts, Shanghai University.
• Ancient Writing & Modern History Writing Reading Room: Collecting 9,000 ancient books published in recent years, 25,000 periodicals, as well as modern Chinese newspaper photocopy.

• Deng Weizhi, a Standing Committee Member of the 9th CPPCC National Committee, a professor at the Department of Sociology, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS)
• Fu Jiamo, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
• Huang Hongjia, academician of the CAS，honorary president of Shanghai University
• Li Sanli, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE)
• Liu Gaolian, academician of the CAS
• Liu Yuanfang, academician of the CAS
• Liu Yuanzhang, academician of the CAE and the International Academy for Quality
• Sun Jinliang, academician of the CAE
• Xie Jin, film director, member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• Xu Kuangdi, chair and academician of the CAE, former mayor of Shanghai
• Zhou Bangxing, academician of the CAE
• Zhou Guozhi, academician of the CAS

• Yang Shangkun, 4th president of the People's Republic of China, enrolled in Department of Sociology of Shanghai University in 1926.
• Bo Gu, was a senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party and a member of the 28 Bolsheviks, enrolled in Department of Sociology of Shanghai University in 1925.
• Wang Jiaxiang, one of the senior leaders of the Chinese Communist Party in its early stage and a member of the 28 Bolsheviks, attended the affiliated middle school of Shanghai University in 1925.
• Xu jishen, was a senior commander of Chinese Workers' and Peasants Red Army, enrolled in Shanghai University in 1923.
• Zhang Zhizhong, was a general in the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, enrolled in Department of Sociology of Shanghai University in 1923.
• Chen Geng, was a Chinese Communist military leader, one of the ten grand generals of the People's Liberation Army, attended Shanghai University as an auditor.
• Li Shuoxun, revolutionary martyr, an underground leader of Chinese Communist Party, entered Shanghai University in 1923.
• Zhang Qinqiu, was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, military commander, and politician, entered the sociology department of the Shanghai University.
• Chen Yifei, famous film director, artist, graduated from Shanghai Fine Arts College in 1965.
• Scott Shaw, American writer and artist, received his Ph.D. from Shanghai University in Asian Studies.
• Xin Zhou, Chairman & CEO of E-House China (NYSE: EJ), graduated from Shanghai University of Technology in 1990.