On October 5^th, the College of History of Nankai University celebrated its centennial at Datong Student Center on Jinnan Campus.

At 10 a.m., the centennial celebration kicked off amidst the solemn sound of the national anthem.

Luo Baoming, former Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee and an alumnus; Zhang Yuanlong, former member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Tianjin Municipal People’s Congress, and an adviser to the Yan Xiu Research Association and Zhang Boling Research Association; Yu Zhenqi, former Chinese ambassador to Bulgaria and an alumnus; Jin Runcheng, former Director of Tianjin Municipal Education Commission and an alumnus; Zhang Jing, former President of Tianjin Municipal Educational Admission and Examinations Authority and an alumna; Zhang Guogang, senior professor of liberal arts at Tsinghua University and an alumnus; and Zhang Jian, former President of Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences and an alumnus attended the celebration conference.

Yang Qingshan, Chancellor of Nankai University; Chen Yulu, President of Nankai University; Hong Guoqi, former Chancellor of Nankai University; Xue Jinwen, President of Tianjin Federation of Social Science and former Chancellor of Nankai University; Kong Fanfeng, former Vice Chancellor of Nankai University; Feng Erkang, an honorary professor at Nankai University; Nan Bingwen, a senior professor at Nankai University; Zhang Yingze, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Dean of the School of Medicine of Nankai University; Bu Xianhe, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Nankai University; and Niu Wenli, Vice Chancellor of Nankai University attended the celebration conference. Nearly 1,000 attendees, including leaders of history-related faculties of sister universities, leaders of some senior high schools as basic talent training and teaching bases of history, representatives of entrepreneurs, representatives of functional departments of Nankai University, sister colleges, as well as faculty and students of the College of History, gathered at Nankai and celebrated the anniversary.

Chen Yulu

On behalf of Nankai, Chen Yulu extended a warm welcome to the guests and alumni. He said that Nankai University’s history discipline ushered in the important moment of its centennial as the whole country celebrates the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Over the past century, Nankai’s history discipline has laid a solid foundation and exhibited a grand and progressive approach, fostering a community of Nankai historians led by Zheng Tianting and Lei Haizong. It is leading the way in many fields of history, and has embodied the distinct academic features of “fusion of Chinese and western cultures, bridging the ancient and modern” and the historiographical spirit of “seeking truth, pursuing innovation, and applying knowledge for practical use”. It has produced tens of thousands of outstanding talents for the country , becoming a historiography powerhouse famous at home and abroad.

Chen Yulu expressed that the history discipline stands as a flagship of Nankai University and a key supported discipline in the “Double First-class” initiative implemented at Nankai. The university will, as always, fully support the history discipline in becoming a world-class discipline. We look forward to joining hands with various sectors of the society and alumni to bring new glory to Nankai University’s history discipline.

Yu Xinzhong

Yu Xinzhong, Dean of the the College of History, reviewed the 100-year journey of the history discipline at Nankai.

Trailblazing work of eminent figures Mr. Liang Qichao and Mr. Jiang Tingfu in the early days laid a good foundation for the history discipline at Nankai. In the 1950s, Mr. Zheng Tianting, the head of the History Department of Peking University, and Lei Haizong, the head of the History Department of Tsinghua University, both joined Nankai , making it a leading hub of distinguished scholars. After the reform and opening up, Nankai University’s disciplines of Ancient China History, Modern and Contemporary Chinese History and Regional and National History, were all selected as national key disciplines, and rated as first-level key disciplines of history. At the beginning of the 21st century, Nankai’s Research Centers in Chinese Social History and World Modern History were approved as key humanities and social science research bases of the Ministry of Education. In the recent assessment, Nankai University’s world history discipline has twice been recognized as a world-class discipline. In the 1950s and 1960s, the College of History set up four research units for history of Ming and Qing dynasties, American history, Japanese history and Latin American history in addition to other three teaching and research units for Ancient China History, Modern and Contemporary Chinese History and Regional and National History respectively, which become the fundamental landscape of the history discipline at Nankai. After the reform and opening up, Nankai University’s history discipline, on the basis of boosting its strength in history of regions, history of individual countries, dynastic history, institutional history, history of historiography, studies of historical literature, and history of classical civilization, was the first in China to offer the program of museology, and launched new studies on the history of political thought, social history, and regional history of North China. In the new century, it has made great progress in cutting-edge research on environmental history, medical history, history of world modernization, rural history, history of everyday life, history of new revolution, Byzantine history and Hellenistic studies, as well as the history of science and technology, and the history of material culture. In recent years, the College has nurtured and gathered a group of outstanding talents and currently has approximately 120 professional faculty members, including 14 national recognized experts. Young scholars under the age of 45 account for 47%.

Lu Yusong

Wang Qisheng

David Pomfret

Li Xilong

Lu Yusong, Vice Dean of the History Research Institute of China; Wang Qisheng, Director of the History Department of Peking University; David Pomfret, Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Hong Kong; and Li Xilong, Dean of the School of Literature of Nankai University, congratulated the centennial of Nankai history discipline as representatives of research institutions, sister universities and colleges of Nankai University.

Fan Zeng

Luo Baoming

Li Jianming

Wen Guipeng

Zhang Guogang

During the event, representatives of alumni at home and abroad delivered speeches, including Fan Zeng, honorary Chair of the History Branch of Nankai Alumni Association, tenured professor and tenured board member of Nankai University; Luo Baoming, former Secretary of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee; Li Jianming, first-class professor at Fudan University; Wen Guipeng, Chair of Nankai University Los Angeles Alumni Association; and Zhang Guogang, Chair of the History Branch of Nankai Alumni Association and a senior professor at Tsinghua University.

Feng Erkang

Li Jinzheng

Hao Yating

Feng Erkang, honorary professor at Nankai University; Li Jinzheng, distinguished professor at Nankai University; and Hao Yating, a doctoral student admitted to the Faculty of History in 2022, spoke as representatives of retired faculty, current faculty and students respectively.

Liu Yi, Li Zhi’an, Chen Zhiqiang, Liu Qing (left to right)

A release ceremony for Collected Works on Nankai University’s 100-year-old History Discipline was held at the celebration conference. Li Zhi’an, Chen Zhiqiang and Liu Yi, professors at the College of History of Nankai University, and Liu Qing, President of Tianjin People’s Publishing House, jointly unveiled the book.

The College has received substantial support from numerous alumni and all walks of life in the course of its development. The College launched an alumni assistance campaign for the history discipline, and received approximately 3 million yuan donations and four in-kind donations. The donation ceremony for the centennial of the establishment of Nankai University’s history discipline was held at the venue. Niu Wenli, Vice Chancellor of Nankai University, presented the commemorative plaque to the donor representatives.

Nan Bingwen, Xue Jinwen, Yang Qingshan, Wang Xiaode (from left to right)

Upon the suggestion of Mr. Fan Zeng, the College set up the “Nankai Historical Studies Exhibition Hall”. At the celebration conference, Xue Jinwen, Yang Qingshan, Nan Bingwen and Wang Xiaode jointly unveiled the plaque.

To keep the historiographical spirit alive and forge new pathways in history, the College of History took the chance of the centennial to organize various events, including the Nankai Lecture Hall on Centennial History Discipline, the National Forum for Deans and Department Chairs of First-class History Discipline, the Consulting Forum for the Development of History Discipline, and the Symposium on Research Institutes and Universities Jointly Advancing History Research. Additionally, the College published and exhibited the commemorative literature for centennial history discipline, and made preparations for a series of academic activities for the Academic Month of Centennial Nankai History Discipline, Summit Forum and Youth Forum for various research areas.

（Edited and translated by Nankai News Team.)