The NorthWest University History School

Founded in 2006, the Faculty of History was first established in 1937, under the name of History Department from Northwest Union University, with Mr. Xu Shoushang as its Dean. And it later became the College of Literature and Cultural Heritage in NWU in 1988. In the year 1939, the Northwest Union University moved from Xi’an to Cheng gu County in Han zhong City, Shaanxi Province and was renamed National Northwest University, with the History Department taken as one of the three departments from the Faculty of Literature. It was not until the year 1946 when the National Northwest University moved to the current place and set up 4 Faculties with 15 Departments. Mr. Ma shi-ru was assigned as both the Director of the Faculty of Literature and the Dean of History Department as well. During the 12 years since its foundation to the establishment of PRC, the Faculty of History had been researching on Zhang qian Mausoleum, the date collections of local historical sites and relics, and had been dedicated greatly to the researches and transmissions of traditional Chinese culture.With its major--- history as one of the superior traditional major in NWU, the Faculty of History boasts to have prestigious teachers and scholars to teach here successively, for example, Mr. Hou wailu, Chen zhi, Ma changshou, Chen dengyuan, Zhang qizhi, Peng shuzhi, Lin Jianmin, etc. It poses great academic influences on the universities, colleges and institutions nationwide.

Authorized as one of the first talent training bases for national liberal arts and one of the first scientific research bases by the State Education Commission in 1995, the Faculty of History was later ranked as one of the key subjects for the NWU “211 Project” in the year 1997. Still, it was honored as the most privileged major in Shaanxi universities and colleges in 2002 and in the year 2008, its “Talent Training Mode Innovation Trial Plot for History Study” was ranked as national grade trail plot, the major of History Study was also rated as the feature major in national level. Its teaching team for Ancient Chinese History was honored as teaching team construction project in Shannxi Province in the year 2010, and now it has developed as one of the most important bases for the advanced talent training and researches in the history study arena.

The Faculty of History boasts to have diversified research centers and institutions like the Research Center of Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties, the Buddhism Research Institution, the Research Institution of Ancient Books, the Research Center for Military History of China, the Research Center of the Xi’an Incident, and the research institute for the Chinese Senior Citizens. Besides, it is also authorized for the enrollment of Master’s, Doctor’s, and also Post Doc degrees on the study of Chinese Ancient History, the Modern and Contemporary Chinese History, the World History, the study of Historical Philosophy, and the History of Specialized Field.

The Faculty of History now has 23 full-time teachers, of whom 6 are professors and another 6 are associate professors. As 91.3% of these teachers have gained their doctor’s degree, the Faculty of History has presented a remarkable achievement on its teaching and research ability, and has been undertaking various national fund projects, from The National Social Science Research Fund Projects, to the "The 21st Century Teaching Content and the Curriculum Reform Project” of the Ministry of Education, and The Cultural and Social Science Research project, which is also from the Ministry of Education. In addition, our teachers have published vast amount of monographs and papers in authoritative journals and core journals both at home and abroad, some of which have been honored various prizes like the Guo muoruo Historical Awards, the First and Second Prizes for the National Social Scientific Achievements Awards, and the First and Second Prizes for Social Scientific Achievements Awards in Shaanxi Province as well. The teaching course “The Chinese Culture and Ideology” has been granted as the National Quality Course. Another two courses-----“The History of China”, and “the History of Cultures on Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang Dynasties” have been honored as the Quality Courses in Shaanxi

Province. Also, the course of “Chinese History and Geography” has been ranked as the quality course of NWU.

The Faculty of History, with its fruitful accomplishments and its promising future, is now presenting an increasingly significant role in China’s cultural and history transmissions and exchanges.