Peking University, founded in 1898, was originally known as Beijing Normal University, a key construction university of the "211 Project" and "985 Project", and a comprehensive university focusing on basic teaching and research in arts and sciences

Founded in 1898, Peking University was the first national comprehensive university in China and the highest educational administrative body in China at that time. After the Xinhai Revolution, it was changed to its current name in 1912.

As the center of the New Culture Movement and the birthplace of the May Fourth Movement, as the birthplace of China's earliest dissemination of Marxism and democratic scientific thought, and as the earliest activity base of the Communist Party of China, Peking University has made irreplaceable contributions to the rejuvenation and liberation of the nation, the construction and development of the country, and the civilization and progress of society, and has played an important vanguard role in the process of China's modernization. The traditional spirit of patriotism, progress, democracy, and science, as well as the diligent, rigorous, realistic, and innovative style of study, have been passed down from generation to generation here.

In 1917, the famous educator Cai Yuanpei became the president of Peking University, and he "followed the principle of freedom of thought and adopted inclusiveness", carried out fruitful reforms of Peking University, and promoted the emancipation of the mind and academic prosperity. Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Mao Zedong, Lu Xun, Hu Shi and a number of other outstanding talents have worked or taught at Peking University.

After the Lugou Bridge Incident in 1937, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University moved south to Changsha to form Changsha Provisional University. Soon after, the temporary university was moved to Kunming and renamed National Southwest Associated University. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Peking University resumed its studies in Beiping in October 1946.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, colleges and universities across the country were reorganized in 1952, and Peking University became a comprehensive university focusing on basic teaching and research in the arts and sciences, cultivating a large number of talents for the country. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 400 alumni and teachers of Peking University and academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and quite a number of influential people in the field of Chinese humanities and social sciences also come from Peking University.

Since the reform and opening up, Peking University has entered a new period of unprecedented development and construction, and has become one of the two key universities in the national "211 Project".

On May 4, 1998, on the occasion of the centennial celebration of Peking University, President Jiang Zemin delivered a speech at a meeting to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Peking University, calling for "in order to achieve modernization, China must have a number of first-class universities with advanced world standards." With the support of the state, Peking University launched the "Plan to Build a World-Class University" in due course, and since then, a new page has been opened in the history of Peking University.

On April 3, 2000, Peking University merged with the former Beijing Medical University to form the new Peking University. The predecessor of the former Beijing Medical University was the National Beijing Medical College, which was founded on October 26, 1912. In the thirties and forties of the 20th century, the school was once called Peking University School of Medicine, and was merged into Peking University in July 1946. In 1952, Peking University School of Medicine was separated from Peking University and became independent as Beijing Medical College in the adjustment of colleges and universities across the country. In 1985, it was renamed Beijing Medical University, and in 1996, it became one of the first batch of medical universities supported by the "211 Project" of the state. The merger of the two universities has further broadened the discipline structure of Peking University, laid the foundation for promoting the integration of medicine with humanities and social sciences and science, and reforming medical education.

In recent years, with the support of the "211 Project" and the "985 Project", Peking University has entered a new stage of historical development, and has made remarkable achievements in discipline construction, talent training, faculty construction, teaching and scientific research, etc., laying a solid foundation for building Peking University into a world-class university. Today, Peking University has become the cradle of the country's cultivation of high-quality and creative talents, an important base for the frontier of scientific research and knowledge innovation, and an important bridge and window for international exchanges.

Professor Hao Ping, Secretary of the Party Committee of the University, and Professor Lin Jianhua, President of the University.