Fudan University - History

History

Fudan was initially known as Fudan College in 1905. The two Chinese characters Fu (復) and Dan (旦), literally meaning "(heavenly light shines) day after day", were chosen by the distinguished educator in modern Chinese history, Father Ma Xiangbo S.J. (马相伯), from the Confucian Classics (《尚书大传•虞夏传》): "Itinerant as the twilight, sun glows and moon luminesces" (日月光華，旦復旦兮). In 1911 during the Xinhai Revolution the college was taken up as the headquarters of the Guangfu Army and closed down for almost one year. The university motto comes from Analects Book 19.6(《論語•子張》): 博學而篤志,切問而近思, which means "to learn extensively and adhere to aspirations, to inquire earnestly and reflect with self application".

In 1917, Fudan Public School became a private university named the Private Fudan University (私立復旦大學), and also had a middle school and university-preparatory school. In 1929, Fudan adjusted its departments, expanded to include the Journalism Department, Municipals Department, Law Department and Education Department, totalling 17 departments devoted to Arts, Science, Law and Business. In 1937, Fudan moved with the Kuomintang to the inland city of Beibei, Chongqing, later the temporary capital. On December 25, 1941, the First Meeting of Fifth Conference of the Highest Executive Authority of the National Government of the Republic of China voted to change Fudan University (Chongqing) to a public university with Wu Nanxuan as its president. Fudan University then became National Fudan University (國立復旦大學). Five years later, it moved back to Shanghai.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Fudan lost its "National" appellation and became Fudan University to reflect the fact that all universities under the new socialist state would be public. Fudan was the first university to be adjusted by the new government in 1952 and modelled on Soviet education. The original departments were changed, and Arts and Science departments from at least ten other universities in eastern China were added. This not only added to basic academic offerings of Fudan, but also gathered many talented academics from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Shanghai, including Su Buqing, Chen Jiangong, Tan Jiazhen, and Lu Hefu.

In the 1970s, after the Cultural Revolution, the university was changed to a modern, comprehensive-style university.

Fudan University and Shanghai Medical University were merged on April 27, 2000.