Located in Taiyuan, a well-known historical and cultural city in China with a history of more than 2,500 years, Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT) is a century-old university with a rich cultural heritage and distinctive features. The origin of TYUT can be traced back to the Western Learning School (WSL) of Shanxi Grand Academy, founded in 1902 as one of the three earliest national universities in China. In 1953, WSL became independent and was renamed as Taiyuan Institute of Technology (TYIT), directly under the administration of the then Ministry of Higher Education. In 1962, TYIT was put under the administration of Shanxi province. In 1984, TYIT was again renamed as Taiyuan Polytechnic University (TYPU). In 1997, Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT) was established with the merging of TYPU and Shanxi Mining Institute, which was founded in 1958 and directly under the administration of Ministry of Coal Industry. In the same year, TYUT was included in the list of key construction universities under the national “Project 211”, starting a new chapter in its reform and development. In 2017, TYUT was selected as one of the national “Double First-Class” key construction universities, a milestone event that ushered in a new period of development for TYUT. Adhering to the mottoes of “Veritas et Ingenium”, following the tradition of “putting people first, carrying virtue and wisdom with the boat of arts and sports, and promoting all-round development”, and keeping up the spirit of “daring to pioneer, compete and innovate”, TYUT, has witnessed the emergence of a large number of academic masters, industrial leaders and moral models over the past 120 years, such as the famous educator Zhao Zongfu, the “father of China’s petroleum industry” Sun Jianchu, the “pioneer and founder of Precambrian geology of China” Wang Yuelun, the circular arc gear expert Zhu Jingzi, the “pioneer in the field of coal chemical technology” Xie Kechang, the “model for intellectuals” Luan Fu, and the “prairie public servant” Yun Bulong, etc., which demonstrates fully the noble pursuit of the century-old university for “gathering talents of the world to educate and nourishing new generations to serve the nation”.
TYUT focuses on engineering, integrates engineering with science, and promotes the coordinated development of a multitude of disciplines including science, engineering, economics, law, pedagogy, literature, management, and art. TYUT is organized into 25 discipline-based colleges and one Sino-foreign cooperatively run college (in preparation). It has four campuses, namely, Mingxiang, Yingxi, Huyu, and Bailin; and occupies a total area of 2,130,000 square meters, with 1,690,000 square meters of building area. As of now, TYUT has 41,516 full-time students, 473 international students and 4,039 faculty members. TYUT boasts 1 academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 3 academicians of Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), 10 dually-employed academicians, 8 distinguished (chair) professors of the “Yangtze River Scholars Program” of the Ministry of Education (MOE), 10 winners of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and 17 national-level candidates for the “New Century Hundred, Thousand and Ten-thousand Talents Project”. TYUT was selected as a national pilot university for the “Three-All Education” comprehensive reform and recognized as one of the top 50 universities for innovation and entrepreneurship. TYUT is also in the first batch of universities that have been awarded the title of “National Civilized Campus”.
Holding fast to its education philosophy of “putting students in the first place”, and remaining oriented to its fundamental task of fostering virtue through education and its goal of constructing a first-class university, TYUT is committed to training socialist builders and successors by promoting all-round development of its students in morality, intellect, physique, aesthetics and labor skills. 21 degree programs of TYUT have been accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD), 41 degree programs have been enlisted in national first-class programs, 15 in provincial first-class programs, and 13 courses have been selected in national first-class courses. Over the past years, the innovation teams of TYUT have continually made excellent achievements in competitions at home and abroad. With excellent performance of its students in various academic competitions, TYUT has been ranked consistently among the top 50 universities in China. In 2021, 4 projects received the Gold Award in the 7th China International College Students’ ‘Internet+’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, ranking the 9th in the Gold Award count .The “QingzeXinyu” (literally means students being nourished by the river of knowledge) ideological and political platform of TYUT was recognized as the MOE’s quality ideological and political project. The “Home of Screws” was selected as a national demonstration site for learning from Lei Feng, a model of earnestness and service. TYUT strives to build an inclusive and multi-faceted sport enabling environment and a positive and healthy campus culture; and has made outstanding achievements in competitive sports. TYUT is the only university in China that has won both the men’s basketball and football national university championships.
TYUT has strong scientific research strengths with great accomplishments. It has undertaken, as the chief scientist unit, China National Key Basic Research Program (the 973 Program) for two consecutive rounds. Up to now, TYUT has carried out a total of 1,818 national-level projects, including the “863” Program and the “National Key Research and Development Program”; and has won 43 National Science and Technology Awards. TYUT owns one state key laboratory co-founded by Shanxi province and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), four key laboratories of the MOE, two innovation teams of the MOE, and one key-field innovation team of the MOST. In recent years, TYUT has been striving to serve as an engine for both the national and regional economic and social development. Through achievement transformation and technology transfer, TYUT has created economic benefits worth over RMB 10 billion for local and industrial businesses so far.
“As a brilliant university standing alongside the Fenhe River”, TYUT, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, will remain true to its original aspiration and keep its mission firmly in mind. Taking as its own responsibility the promotion of social progress, the achieving of the country’s prosperity and the pursuit of human welfare, TYUT will unswervingly walk towards the goal of building a comprehensive, research-oriented, and high-level first-class university.
