Hunan University of Chinese Medicine

Hunan University of Chinese Medicine is located in Changsha, a famous historical and cultural city in China. It is a key undergraduate institution in Hunan Province. It was among the first batch of universities in the country to establish national key disciplines. The school currently operates on two campuses, Hanpu and Dongtang, covering an area of 1018 mu. It consists of 19 colleges, 1 asset management company, 2 directly affiliated hospitals, and 13 non-directly affiliated hospitals.

Campus of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine

The school was formerly known as the Hunan National Medical College, founded in 1934. In 1957, the Hunan Institute of Chinese Medicine was established. In 1960, an undergraduate college – Hunan College of Chinese Medicine – was established. In 1965, the Provincial Institute of Chinese Medicine was merged with the college, and in 1972, it was separated again, restoring its original organizational system. In 1979, it became one of the first colleges and universities in the country to be qualified for postgraduate education in Chinese medicine. In 1990, the former Hunan University of Science and Technology was established and merged into Hunan College of Chinese Medicine. In 1994, it became the first Chinese medicine college in the country to recruit foreign students. In 2002, it merged with the Hunan Provincial Academy of Chinese Medicine (which resumed its independent system in 2022). In 2006, it was renamed Hunan University of Chinese Medicine with the approval of the Ministry of Education. In 2012, it was included in the enrollment sequence of Hunan Province’s provincial colleges and universities as a “domestic first-class construction university.” In 2022, the school was selected for the second round of “double first-class” construction universities in Hunan Province. The current party secretary is Dai Aiguo, and the principal is Yi Gangqiang.

The school adheres to the concept of running a school with distinct characteristics, and the Chinese medicine disciplines have been comprehensively improved. Currently, there are 31 undergraduate majors, covering 6 major disciplines, including medicine, science, engineering, management, literature, and education. The school has 2 post-doctoral research stations, 3 first-level discipline doctoral degree authorization points, 23 second-level discipline doctoral degree authorization points, and 1 doctoral professional degree authorization point. It also has 9 first-level discipline master’s degree authorization points and 69 second-level discipline master’s degree authorization points. In 2018, Chinese medicine was selected as a “domestic first-class construction discipline,” and the integration of Chinese and Western medicine and pharmacy were selected as “domestic first-class cultivation disciplines.” In 2022, Chinese medicine was selected as a world-class cultivation discipline during the “14th Five-Year Plan” of Hunan Province, while pharmacy and integrated Chinese and Western medicine were selected as key disciplines in the “14th Five-Year Plan” of Hunan Province. In 2021, clinical medicine, pharmacology, and toxicology entered the top 1% of ESI global rankings. The school has established a three-level key discipline system at the national, ministerial, and school levels, including 1 national key discipline, 23 key disciplines of the State Administration of Chinese Medicine, 2 key disciplines with advantages and characteristics in Hunan Province, and 8 key disciplines in Hunan Province. There are also 20 school-level key disciplines. In the fifth round of discipline evaluation by the State Council, our school’s Chinese Materia Medica, Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, and Nursing have all improved. TCM diagnostics continues to maintain its leading position among Chinese medicine colleges and universities nationwide. Key disciplines such as TCM Internal Medicine, TCM Five Senses Science, Acupuncture and Massage, Fundamentals of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Clinical, and Pharmacy have distinctive characteristics and enjoy a stable domestic status.

A beautiful view of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine in Changsha

The school follows the strategy of strengthening the school with talents, leading to a comprehensive improvement in the level of teaching staff. Currently, there are 1,526 full-time teachers, including 732 teachers with associate senior titles or above, 153 doctoral supervisors, 892 master supervisors, and 74 experts who enjoy special allowances from the State Council and provincial government. It has independently trained more than 100 national-level high-level talents, including masters of Chinese medicine and candidates for the National Million Talent Project. There are also over 170 national-level famous teachers, national famous Chinese medicine teachers, provincial Furong teaching teachers, provincial teaching and educating people models, and provincial famous Chinese medicine teachers. The school emphasizes both introduction and training, resulting in outstanding talents such as the National “Hundreds and Thousands” Talent Project (Qihuang Project), young Qihuang scholars, leading talents in science and technology in Hunan Province, candidates for the provincial “121” innovative talent project, “Furong Scholars,” and high-level health talents “225” project candidates. Additionally, numerous young and middle-aged experts and scholars have accumulated a solid talent foundation for the establishment of a first-class university of Chinese medicine.

The school adheres to the concept of quality education, resulting in a comprehensive improvement in the quality of personnel training. It currently has a total of 27,149 students, including 23,328 full-time undergraduates, 3,513 postgraduates, and 308 international students. The school has 8 national-level first-class undergraduate major construction sites and 19 provincial-level first-class undergraduate major construction sites. It also offers 11 national-level and provincial-level characteristic majors and 6 national-level and provincial-level professional comprehensive reform pilots. The school has 10 national-level and provincial-level boutique courses and 3 national-level ideological and political demonstration projects. Furthermore, it provides 7 national-level first-class courses and 118 provincial-level first-class courses, as well as 5 national-level and provincial-level teaching teams. Additionally, it has 1 national practical teaching demonstration center, 5 provincial practical teaching demonstration centers, and 6 national and provincial virtual simulation experimental teaching projects. The school also has 1 national off-campus practical education base for college students and 6 provincial college student innovation training centers, along with 6 provincial school-enterprise cooperation innovation and entrepreneurship education bases and 7 provincial school-enterprise cooperation talent training demonstration bases. Over the past five years, students from the school have won more than 300 national and provincial awards, including the first prize in various competitions and contests.

The school emphasizes the strategy of strengthening the school through science and technology, leading to a comprehensive improvement in its social service capabilities. Since the “13th Five-Year Plan,” several new research facilities have been built, including a new scientific research building, an experimental animal center, and a new research laboratory covering 24,000 square meters. The school has 82 scientific research platforms at all levels, and more than 1,700 scientific research projects at various levels have been approved, attracting about 330 million yuan of scientific research funds. Breakthroughs have been made in various national-level major projects related to Chinese medicine, and numerous patents and scientific research awards have been authorized. The school has successfully developed several new Chinese medicines and health care products, contributing to significant social and economic benefits. Additionally, the school actively participated in the prevention and control of the epidemic, earning recognition and awards for its efforts.