Founded in 1898 as theImperial University of Peking by royal charter from theGuangxu Emperor, it is the second-oldest university in China afterTianjin University (established in 1895). In May 1912, thegovernment of the Republic of China ordered the Imperial University of Peking to be renamed Peking University. Then Peking University merged withYenching University during the nationwide restructuring of universities and academic departments in 1952. In April 2000, theBeijing Medical University merged with the Peking University.[4]
Peking University has eight faculties, namely Sciences, Informatics, Engineering, Humanities, Social Sciences, Economics and Management, Interdisciplinary as well as Health Science. It consists of 55 schools and departments, 24 research entities, and six affiliated hospitals.[2] By 2024, Peking University's staff included 54 academicians of theChinese Academy of Sciences, 16 academicians of theChinese Academy of Engineering and 20 members of theWorld Academy of Sciences.[2]
Following China's defeat in theSino-Japanese War, intellectuals – includingKang Youwei,Liang Qichao, andYan Fu – called for reforms to the country's education system. In June 1896, Minister Li Duanfen proposed to create a university in the capital. On 11 June 1898, theGuangxu Emperor, as part of theHundred Days' Reform, authorised the creation of the Imperial University of Peking[5] (Chinese:京師大學堂;pinyin:Jīngshī Dàxuétáng;lit. 'Capital Grand Study Hall').[6] The Imperial University was formally established on 3 July 1898 when the emperor approved theroyal charter written by Liang. MinisterSun Jianai was charged with the implementation. IUP served as the country's foremost institute for higher learning, but also as its highest educational authority.[5]William Alexander Parsons Martin was appointed as the first president.[6] Most of the reforms were abolished when the conservativeEmpress Dowager Cixi seized power on 21 September. The university survived with altered objectives and reduced scope. It opened on 31 December with 160 students, instead of the planned 500.[5]
Following theXinhai Revolution, the Imperial University of Peking was renamed "Government University of Peking" in 1912 and then "National University of Peking" in 1919[6] (simplified Chinese:国立北京大学;traditional Chinese:國立北京大學;pinyin:Guólì Běijīng Dàxué).
The noted scholarCai Yuanpei was appointed president on December 26, 1917.[7] He helped transform Peking University into the country's largest institution of higher learning, with 14 departments and an enrollment of more than 2,000 students.[citation needed] President Cai, inspired by the German model of academic freedom, introduced faculty governance and democratic management to the university.[8] Cai recruited an intellectually diverse faculty that included some of the most prominent figures in the progressiveNew Culture Movement, includingHu Shih,Liu Bannong,Ma Yinchu,Li Dazhao,Chen Duxiu,Lu Xun andLiang Shuming. Meanwhile, leading conservativesGu Hongming andHuang Kan also taught at the university.[9] A firm supporter for freedom of thought, Cai advocated for educational independence and resigned several times protesting thegovernment's policy and interference.[10][failed verification]
The faculty of Peking University Institute for Chinese Classics in 1924Peking University students protesting theTreaty of Versailles in theMay Fourth Movement.
On 1 May 1919, some students of Peking University learned that the Treaty of Versailles would allow Japan to receive Germany's colonising rights in Shandong province. An assembly at Peking University that included these students and representatives from other universities in Beijing was quickly organised. On 4 May, students from thirteen universities marched toTiananmen to protest the terms ofTreaty of Versailles, demanded theBeiyang government to refuse to sign the treaty. Demonstrators also demanded the immediate resignation of three officials:Cao Rulin, Minister of theMinistry of Transportation, Zhang Zongxiang, China's Ambassador to Japan and Lu Zongyu, Minister of Currency, who they believed were in cooperation with Japanese. The protest ended up with some protesters being beaten and arrested, and Cao Rulin's house burned by protesters. Following the protest on 4 May, students, workers and merchants from nearly all China's major cities went on strike and boycotted Japanese goods in China. TheBeiyang government eventually agreed to release the arrested students and fired the three officials under intense public pressure, China's representatives in Paris refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles.[11]
Peking University's West Gate, one of the symbols of the university campus
During the Second World War, Peking University staff joinedTsinghua University andNankai University staff in establishing theNational Southwestern Associated University. Based in Kunming, Yunnan, this institution saw a period of high productivity that would shape the course of Chinese intellectual history and its reconstruction post-war.
In October 2015, Peking University alumnus and ProfessorTu Youyou was awarded theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery ofartemisinin. Having saved millions of lives, artemisinin has made significant contributions to global health in regard to the fight againstmalaria.[13]
On 20 February 2017, the university officially signed a contract with theOpen University to establish the Oxford Campus of Peking University HSBC Business School, Peking University Oxford Center and Shenzhen Oxford Innovation Center.[14]
On 29 June 2020, the Sino-Russian Mathematics Center was established.[15] The Sino-Russian Mathematics Center is led by Peking University andMoscow State University, and jointly constructed by relevant domestic units and other Russian universities and research institutes such asSt. Petersburg University, relying on the "Double First-class" construction alliance in mathematics.[16]
On 2 April 2021, Peking University Nanchang Innovation Research Institute was inaugurated.[17]
On 15 July 2021, Peking University School of Integrated Circuitswas inaugurated.[18]
On 6 September 2021, the newChangping campus of Peking University was officially opened, welcoming the first batch of teachers and students. On 30 September, Peking University Lanyuan Centre was officially launched.[19] The first dean of Lanyuan Centre is Ke Yang, Professor of Peking University School of Clinical Oncology and a foreign academician of the American Academy of Medical Sciences. In October, Peking University officially announced the establishment of Peking University School of Computer Science,[20] which means the computer major of Peking University was officially upgraded from a department to a school. Yang Fuqing,[21]Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, served as the honorary president.
In 2022, Peking University andLancet established a commission on healthyaging in China.[22]: 162 The Commission's purpose is to re-focus the debate on aging not just on the risks of China's aging population but on opportunities by "unleashing the intellectual and vocational capacities of the older population and the whole of Chinese society."[22]: 162
In June 2022, theInternational University Sports Federation (FISU) released the first series of "Healthy Campus" list. Peking University, as the only Chinese university that has obtained platinum certification from the International University Sports Federation, participated in 4 projects and became the only representative from China among 130 projects worldwide.[23]
In March 2025, PKU split its former Faculty of Information and Engineering into two new faculties—Faculty of Informatics and Faculty of Engineering, with the latter having added two newly established schools—School of Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics and School of Mechanics and Engineering Science.[24]
The university campus is on the former site of Qing dynasty imperial gardens and it retains traditional Chinese-style landscaping, including traditional houses, gardens, pagodas, and notable historical buildings and structures. American architect and art historianTalbot Hamlin designed some of the university's buildings constructed during the 1919 to 1922 period.[25] There are several gates that lead into campus — East, West and South gates, with the West Gate being the most well known for the painted murals on its ceiling. Weiming Lake is in the north of the campus and is surrounded by walking paths and small gardens. The university hosts many museums, such as the Museum of University History and theArthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology.[26][27] Notable items in these museums include funerary objects that were excavated in Beijing and date back thousands of years from the graves of royals of theWarring States period. There are ritual pottery vessels as well as elaborate pieces of jewelry on display. There are also human bones set up in the traditional burial style of that period.[27]
Beyond its main campus,Peking University Health Science Center (PKUHSC) is on Xueyuan Road where the country's most distinguished colleges are, and is a fitting site for academics and research.
During theThird Front construction, Peking University opened a branch inHanzhong, Shaanxi.[28]: 179
In 2001, Peking University'sShenzhen campus, theShenzhen Graduate School, opened its doors. The campus is located in the northwest part of Shenzhen City.
Peking University during winter. The campus is situated on a former imperial garden.
One of the administrative buildings with thehuabiao
Peking University consists of 55 schools and departments, with 137 majors for undergraduates, 59 Master's degree programs, and 59 doctoral programs.[2] In addition tobasic research, the university also conductsapplied research.[29]
At present, Peking University has 420 research institutions, including 7 State Key Laboratories, 5 National Engineering Research Centers, and 1 National Laboratory.[30] With 8 million holdings, the university library is the largest of its kind in Asia.[31]
Several rankings have placed Peking University among the top universities inmainland China.[45][46] In 2025, QS Asia University Rankings has put it at the top among all Asian universities.[47]
The 2025 QS Rankings ranked Peking University 14th in the world and first in Asia.[48][49] As of 2025, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings has ranked Peking University 13th in the world and 2nd in Asia, with its teaching and research environment indicators placing 9th and 6th in the world respectively.[50]
In the Times Higher Education Global Employability University Ranking 2025, an annual ranking of university graduates' employability, Peking University was ranked 11th in the world and 2nd in Asia.[56] In 2025, it ranked 11th in world reputation, according to the THE[57], and 22 of its subjects ranked in the top 1% in the world, according to Essential Science Indicators, which is an analytics database developed by the British-American company Clarivate that identifies top-performing research and emerging trends within the Web of Science Core Collection.[2] It has also been leading the chart of Times Higher Education BRICS & Emerging Economies since its inception in 2014.
The 2024CWTS Leiden Ranking ranked Peking University at 13th in the world based on their publications for the time period 2019–2022.[58] For the high quality of research in natural science and health science, Peking University ranked 5th among the leading institutions, and 4th among the leading universities globally in theNature Index 2025 Research Leaders byNature Research.[59] In 2024, it ranked 7th among the universities around the world bySCImago Institutions Rankings.[60] In November 2024,Clarivate Analytics ranked Peking University 12th in the world for the mostHighly Cited Researchers.[61]
On 24 October 2018, Peking University Library, the largest library among Asian universities, held the opening ceremony of the 120th anniversary at the Yingjie Overseas Exchange Center.[69]
The National School of Development (formerly China Center for Economic Research) is ranked amongst the top five most influential think tanks in China.[70]
On 29 August 2016, Peking University signed a strategic agreement with the Shenzhen Municipal Government to further develop its Shenzhen Graduate School, the university plans build a brand new campus near the existed graduate school and open undergraduate programs.[78]
Every year, there are approximately 7,000 international students studying at Peking University.[79]
Peking University offersdual degree programs at thebachelor's,master's, anddoctoral levels with the renownedWaseda University (早稲田大学) inNortheast Asia. It is one of the most engaged partners with Waseda, having established a strong cooperative relationship of the highest level. This partnership began with an academic agreement in 1982, enhancing dual degree programs and joint research initiatives since 2003. Under the PKU-Waseda project, each year, the university selects undergraduates to spend their third year studying at Waseda University inJapan, and then they return to Peking University for their fourth year. Simultaneously, Waseda University sends numerous students to Peking University as exchange students. Upon graduation, students receive two bachelor's degrees, one from each university. Additionally, joint master's student training programs and dual doctoral degree programs with Waseda University are also in operation. The comprehensive collaboration of offering dual degrees at allbachelor's,master's, anddoctoral levels, as seen in the Peking-Waseda partnership, is rare on a global scale.[80][81][82][83]
On the 121st founding anniversary, Peking University unveiled the "Global Excellence Strategy", an international blueprint aiming to enhance Peking University's global presence during the "Fourth Industrial Revolution". The "Global Excellence Strategy" aims to strengthen international cooperation, overcome development barriers, gather global resources, and stimulate collegial relationships. The Global Excellence Strategy is based upon the English word "CLOUDS", representing the "cloud era" of the "Fourth Industrial Revolution". Each letter stands for a corresponding word, namely creativity,leadership,openness,uniqueness, diversity and shaping.[93]
Peking University has participated in many joint art-research projects, such as the Center for the Art of East Asia (CAEA) with theUniversity of Chicago,[94] and Department of Digital Art and Design withUNESCO.[95][96]
Peking University has benefited from the services of notable academics and staff. These include founder of the People's Republic of ChinaMao Zedong who worked as a library staff at the university, as first claimed in Edward Snow's Red Star Over China.[112] Although Mao audited classes while working at PKU, he was not a formally enrolled student and did not graduate from the university.
The university's second president was educator, politician, and revolutionaryCai Yuanpei, who was the first to bring European university concept to China after a stint atFree University of Berlin and fought for the school to be named "BeijingDaxue". Cai equally protected the freedom of expression of his staff and students, allowing a plethora of influential journals, includingNew Youth and New Tide.[113] Peking University students participated heavily in the May Fourth Movement, spurned and sometimes also held back by staff from the time.
More recently, the university has been home to influential economistMichael Pettis.
^abXu, Youwei; Wang, Y. Yvon (2022).Everyday Lives in China's Cold War Military Industrial Complex: Voices from the Shanghai Small Third Front, 1964–1988.Palgrave MacMillan. p. 238.ISBN9783030996871.
^Frederik Balfour; Bruce Einhorn; Moon Ihlwan; Mehul Srivastava & Hiroko Tashiro."Asia's Top Business Schools".Businessweek.com.Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved15 July 2015.
Lin, Xiaoqing Diana (2005).Peking University: Chinese Scholarship and Intellectuals, 1898–1937. State University of New York Press.ISBN978-0-7914-8391-6.
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