History of Harbin Institute of Technology

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Founded in 1920,^[1] Harbin Institute of Technology has developed into an important research university focusing on engineering with supporting faculties in the sciences, management, humanities and the social sciences. In 1954, it was named one of the six key institutions of higher education in the People's Republic of China and has subsequently enjoyed government sponsorship. In 1984, it was listed in the top 15 universities receiving financial support. In 1999, the Chinese government chose HIT as one of nine universities to receive special financing to transform into better institutions.

The institute is geared to the needs of the development of China's economy and defense. Its faculty and students have invented many 'firsts' in China: the first analog computer, the first intelligent chess computer, the first arc welding robot, the first world-class new system radar, the first IC CMOS chip with its own copyright, the first superway computer real-time 3D image creation system, and the first high-performance computer controlled .^{[citation needed]}

HIT was able to complete the Large-Size Vacuum Container Ground Simulation Equipment, an important national scientific research project, in only three years. HIT ranked No. 2 in the 10-year comprehensive evaluation of the state of research projects of the National 863 High-Tech Programs.

1920–1949: An international university[]

Harbin Institute of Technology was founded in 1920, originally called Harbin Sino-Russian School for Industry. The founding of this institution was directly related to the construction of the Chinese Northeastern Railway (after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War it was renamed the China Changchun Railway) by Czarist Russia, with the aim to educate, after the Russian education style, engineers for the said railway.

The initiating period (1920.5–1928.2)[]

Harbin Sino-Russian School for Industry (now HIT) was planned in May 1920, and the founding ceremony was held on October 17. The first enrollment was educated in the two majors offered at the time: Railway Construction and Electric Mechanic Engineering. The 103 students were divided into three classes and were to graduate five years later. The lessons were conducted exclusively in Russian, with a credit system.

On April 2, 1922, the School was renamed Sino-Russian Industrial University. The original two majors became two departments: the Railway Construction Department and the Electric Engineering Department. Upon the approval of the Examination Committee, graduates were granted the degree of Engineer.

Joint management by China and USSR (1928.2–1935.3)[]

On February 4, 1928, the institution came under the leadership of the of the Republic of China, and was renamed the Industrial University of the Northeastern Provincial Special Administrative Region, with the head of the Administration General as the director of the University Board, and the Minister of Education of the Northeastern Government Liu Zhe as the president of the University, the first Chinese president of the university. On October 20, 1928, the Law College and College of Commerce were incorporated, and the institution was officially named HIT, co-managed by China and the USSR, with General Zhang Xueliang as the president of the School Board. Postgraduate students were recruited from the spring of 1931.

The puppet Manchuria period (1935.3–1945.8)[]

With the invasion of northeast China by the Japanese imperialists, by 1935, the institution had been completely taken over by the Japanese. Classes were taught in Japanese, and only Chinese and Japanese students could be enrolled. On January 1, 1936, the name of the institution was changed to National Harbin Polytechnic. After January 1937, the education system was entirely transited to that of the Japanese. The president was the Japanese Suzuki Masao, who stayed on the post until August 1945. On January 1, 1938, the name Harbin Institute of Technology was reinstated, from which time on it has been kept until now.

Rule of the Railway Administration (1945.9–1949.3)[]

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War on the part of the Chinese people on September 3, 1945, HIT came under the joint management of the Chinese and Soviet governments through the China Changchun Railway Administration. In this period, the chief goal of HIT was to train engineering talents for the railway, with five-years degrees exclusively in Russian. By 1950, when the new Chinese government took over, HIT offered programs or preparatory programs of Building Construction, Electric Engineering, Engineering Economy, Mining, Chemical Engineering, and Oriental Economy. In this period, HIT not only healed the trauma induced during the war, but also saw some real development and accumulation of experiences in running the institute, laying solid foundation for the take-over, reform, and development of HIT by the New China.

From the founding of the institution in 1920 until liberation, HIT had been run in the Russian or Japanese system, and lessons were taught in Russian or Japanese. This rendered HIT since its founding the eminent feature of internationalism.

From 1920 to the graduation of the last class taught in Russian in 1938, the HIT under the Russian system altogether fostered 1267 students, with 382 Chinese and 885 Russians and Poles, who are now scattered all over the world: Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Russia, Australia, Poland, USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Brazil, and who all benefited from an early western education system and gained advanced knowledge in science and technology in contemporary Europe. Their diplomas and degrees were recognized by European countries like the former USSR. In the 30 years before liberation, HIT educated numerous famous scholars in the fields of science, technology, and education, some of whom became social activists.

1949–1966: The first golden age of HIT[]

The period between the 1950s and mid 1960s was called the first 'Golden Age' in the history of HIT, when leaders like Feng Zhongyun, Li Chang, Chen Kangbai, and Gao Tie directed the institute on the basis of recast and expansion to undergo mass construction, fast development, and dramatic improvement, and when HIT fostered tens of thousands of talents for the country.

During this era, the enrollment increased incessantly, the largest being more than 8000. The number of teachers also increased rapidly. By 1957, teachers numbered more than 800, averaged 27.5 years of age, charged with all the teaching and research tasks, and being the reputed 800 warriors of HIT. Research witnessed great development and improvement. All the disciplines established ties of scientific cooperation with factories and research institutes, laying solid foundation for the integration of teaching, research, and production and for scientific research to serve the national economy.

Return to China[]

In 1949, HIT started to recruit graduate students from all over China. It was one of the earliest universities in China to have a graduate program.

On June 7, 1950, the central committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) telegraphed the Northeastern chapter: 'The China Changchun Railway has decided to turn HIT over to the Chinese Government.' It went on to remark that 'HIT should enroll, as its graduate students, mainly lecturers, assistant lecturers, postgraduate students from school of science and engineering in Chinese Universities, teach them Russian, and assign them, upon their graduation after two year, to teach in universities nationwide.' This is an important sign that HIT had returned to the rule of China and entered an age of full-scale reform and growth. Later, the institute decided that its celebrate day is June 7.

A learner from the USSR[]

As an important base for learning from the USSR and training talents for universities and factories throughout the country, HIT enjoyed the fame of the 'Cradle for Engineers'.

In 1951, Liu Shaoqi commented on the Report about the Amelioration Plan for HIT by the Party committee of the Ministry of Education: 'It is necessary to run such a university well.' The amelioration plan set forth the goal and mission of HIT, 'to foster engineers for heavy industry sectors and teachers for universities of science and technology.' From then on, HIT had been one of the two Chinese universities to learn from THE USSR. Between July 1951 and June 1956, HIT hosted five conferences on teaching methodology and science and technology and TWO national-level conferences of Electric and Mechanic Engineering, each receiving delegates from dozens of universities across the country. HIT had become the window through which Chinese higher education learned experiences from THE USSR.

In 1958, in response to Deng Xiaoping's remark that 'HIT should challenge top technology' and the call of the situation of development at the time, HIT made significant rearrangement in its departments. By 1962, HIT had basically accomplished the change from civic purposes to those of the military, becoming an all-embracing, multidisciplinary university.

One of the first key universities[]

In March 1954, the Ministry of Higher Education held a symposium on HIT and formulated the draft of Decisions on Several Issues about HIT. Yang Xiufeng, deputy minister of the Ministry of Higher Education, observed, 'HIT has basically been recast into a new university adopting the advanced education system of USSR, which fact should be approved of. HIT has functioned as a pioneering banner recognized by universities nationwide.' In October 1954, the Ministry of Higher Education designated, for the first time, six national key universities: HIT was the only one outside Beijing.

To meet the need of restoration and development of the national economy, new majors were added to the curriculum setup year by year. By 1957, HIT already had seven departments and 23 majors, basically taking the form of a new multidisciplinary industry university after the Russian education system.

A university of military service[]

In September 1958, the Secretary General of the CPC Central Committee, Deng Xiaoping came to HIT and instructed that 'HIT should challenge advanced technologies'. In response to his instruction and the requirement of the situation, HIT readjusted its curriculum, removing some civic disciplines. By 1962, HIT has basically accomplished its turn from civic to military service, forming an all-embracing, multidisciplinary university, whose disciplines complementing one another, serving the construction of national economy and national defense science and technology.

In 1960, in the Technology Innovation and Revolution Movement, HIT cooperated with 107 factories in Harbin and completed more than 460 projects of mechanization and automation, materializing the policy that science, technology, and education serve national economy. Ren Zhongyi, Harbin municipal party secretary, said in praise, 'As a symbolic banner, HIT cooperates with factories/ As a whole, the city praises HIT'.

1966–1976: Ten years of convulsion[]

The Cultural Revolution, which started in 1966, severely affected the normal teaching and research activities of HIT.

The move to and return from the south[]

In spring 1970, according to the order of the authorities, a small number of HIT personnel and most equipment moved south to Chongqing and, with Department 2 of the Harbin Military Industry University, formed Chongqing Institute of Technology. The rest of HIT, combining with Heilongjiang Institute of Technology and Harbin Institute of Electrical Technology, formed a new HIT, a local university administered by the local government. In August 1973, the State Council of China and the decided that Chongqing Institute of Technology should again move back north to Harbin to be restored to before the move. After all this flounder, the institute was severely weakened.

Because China was in disorder during that time, a large quantity of documents was lost. HIT keeps seeking documents from former employees and alumni these years.

1977–present: Re-burnishing the resplendence[]

When chaos was dispelled after 1977, HIT soon regained its vigor, and teaching and research work gradually stepped into the right path. Particularly since the 1990s, HIT has started its second 'golden age.'

In 1977, the undergraduate programs reopened and in 1978 the graduate programs. In 1982 doctoral programs were offered for the first time. In 1984, HIT again found its way into the list of 15 universities to be favorably built. In the same year, HIT became one of the first 22 universities to run an experimental graduate school, which indicated that the graduate education of HIT had come into a new seedtime and which was an important milestone in the history of the development of HIT.

In 1992, HIT High- and New-Tech Park was founded, starting a new mode of school running described as 'The institute starting the park; the park complementing the Institute; Institute and Park integrate; and Institute and Park are run separately'. In 1996, HIT was in the first batch of universities to enter the list of Project 211, which was to build 100 world-famous universities in China in the 21st century. In May 1999, HIT was awarded by All China Federation of Trade Unions the national 'May 1 Labor Diploma'. In November 1999, HIT was appointed by the Central Government one of the nine best universities to be preferentially built according to the standards of internationally renowned universities.

In 1985 HIT opened a new campus in Weihai, Shandong Province. In 2000 was merged into HIT.

References[]