Approved by the Ministry of Education (formerly State Education Commission), Shaoxing University was founded in April 1996. The University, sited on the southwestern side of Shaoxing, a historic city widely know for its deep cultural deposits, is a local multidisciplinary university growing in both popularity and strength.

The University can be traced back to Shankuai Primary Normal School founded in 1909, the first year of the reign of Emperor Xuantong of Manchu dynasty (1644-1911).

The University’s 52 undergraduate programs (grouped into 24 departments) cover eight academic disciplines, namely, arts, science, engineering, medical science, law, pedagogy, management and economics.

The 24 departments are listed as follows: Departments of the Chinese Language and Literature, Fine Arts, Musicology, the English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Physics, Information Science, Information Engineering, Bioscience, Chemistry, Physical Education, Computer Science, Electromechanical Engineering, Textile and Apparel Engineering, Civil Engineering, Economics, Business Management, Clinical Medicine, Nursing, Medical Technique, Law, Political Science, Public Management, Pedagogy. Organized within the University are 15 second-rank faculties and colleges: Faculties of Mathematics, Physics and Information Science, Engineering, Economics and Business Administration, Medical Science, Law, Foreign Languages, Physical Education; Yuanpei College, Cai Yuanpei Art College, Orchid Pavilion Calligraphy College, College of Adult Education, College of Private Business Management, College of Vocational Training, College of Primary Education, Shangyu Branch Campus.

The University also groups together Shaoxing Branch Campus of Zhejiang Province Open University, Shaoxing University-affiliated No. 1 Hospital (Shaoxing People’s Hospital), Medical College-affiliated Hospital, and a number of academic institutions, notably Yue Culture Research Institute and Applied Chemistry Research Institute.

As the statistics up till March 31, 2004 show, the University’s full-time undergraduates total 13,000 while there are roughly 15,000 part-time students taking courses in various programs of adult education. Among its 1,500 faculty members and workers, there are 830 teachers. And the teaching staff includes six guest professors who are academicians with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 92 full professors and 418 associate professors. The University covers a total land area of 106 hectares with a floor space of 390,000 square meters.

An added area of 67 hectares is now available for the University’s further expansion and development. The University library boasts a collection of some 1,500,000 books and bound periodicals. Under its administration, there are 100-odd laboratories, one computing center and one modern educational technology center.

The University aims high and has mapped out an ambitious plan. By the year of 2010, the University will emerge as a leading research-orientated university in Zhejiang province offering undergraduate and postgraduate teaching of high quality. By 2010, the University will be the place of study for some 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, offering more than 20 postgraduate programs, covering a land area of 200 hectares with a floor space of 600,000 square meters.