Located in Suzhou, an ancient city popularly called “the Paradise on Earth”, Soochow University is a key comprehensive provincial university in Jiangsu Province and also one of China’s top 100 universities under the“Project 211” directed by the Ministry of Education. It was named after the city name Suzhou (spelt Soochow in the past) when founded in 1900, but according to the Pinyin spelling system it is now often  written as Suzhou University (Suzhou Daxue or Suda in short). In 1952, the College of Liberal Arts and Science of Soochow University, Southern Jiangsu College of Culture and Education（which is composed of Jiangsu Provincial College of Education, National College of Social Education and Wuxi Junior College of Sinology）and the Department of Mathematics and Physics of Jiangnan University were merged into Southern Jiangsu Teachers’ College. Later in the same year it was renamed as Jiangsu Teachers’ College and its location was on the old campus of Soochow University. In 1982, under the approval of the State Council, Soochow University was reestablished to replace Jiangsu Teachers’ College. Then in the years of 1995, 1997 and 2000, under the approval of the Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Provincial Government, Suzhou College of Sericulture, Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology and Suzhou Medical College were merged into Soochow University respectively. Better equipped and more robust, Soochow University has grown into a first-rate university in China, covering a wide range of academic disciplines including philosophy, economics, science of law, pedagogy, literature, history, natural science, engineering, agriculture, medical science and management science and enjoying a fairly high reputation both at home and abroad.

  Over the past 100 years, the university has turned out more than 300,000 qualified talents, many of whom are famous scholars or prominent figures in various fields, including former vice presidents of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Xu Deheng, Zhou Gucheng, Fei Xiaotong, Lei Jieqiong, Sun Qimeng, former vice chairmen of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Zhao Puchu, Qian Weichang, Dong Yinchu, famous scientist and Nobel Prize winner Li Zhengdao, famous jurist Ni Zhengyu, famous sericulture educationist Zheng Bijiang, famous brain surgeon and medical educationist Du Ziwei, Hong Kong celebrities Sir. Ti-liang Yang and Louis Cha, member of NPC Standing Committee and vice-chairman of Democratic Progressive Party Zhu Yongxin, deputy governor of Jiangsu Province Zhang Weiguo, former deputy secretary of Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee of CPC Gu Hao, deputy governor of Jiangsu Province Wu Xijun, former vice-chairmen of Jiangsu Political Consultative Conference Tong Fu, Zhou Sangyi, Lu Jun, and thirty-plus academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.

  At present, Soochow University runs twenty post-doctoral research stations, six Ph.D. programs of primary disciplines, eighty-five Ph.D. programs（including self-designed majors）, one professional doctoral program of primary disciplines, 209 master’s degree programs（including self-designed majors）, ten professional master’s degree programs as well as 108 undergraduate programs. In addition, the university has four national key disciplines, twenty-four provincial and ministerial key disciplines (including six incubators for national key disciplines), one national engineering laboratory, one incubator for national key laboratory, twelve provincial and ministerial key laboratories, and three provincial and ministerial engineering centers. It also houses one national base for training personnel in the basic disciplines of liberal arts, one national base for training personnel in the basic disciplines of natural science, one key research base of the Ministry of Education for humanities and social sciences and one key research base of the State General Administration of Sports for social sciences. The university has now about 50,000 students, including 12,744 postgraduates, 22,853 undergraduates and 9,010 adult education students. Among its 4098 faculty and staff members, four are full-time employed academicians (including one member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who is also a member of the Third-World Academy of Sciences and three members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering), six are part-time employed academicians and 1,633 are full professors and associate professors.

  Under the guidelines of consolidating students’ basic knowledge, broadening their fields of vision, strengthening the application and valuing the importance of practice, the university attaches great importance to both teaching and research. As a result, the quality of its students keeps improving. Each year about 40 students win international or national awards. In the 29th Beijing Olympic Games, the students of Soochow University won two gold medals and one bronze medal. While emphasizing the importance of studying basic theories, the university pays due attention to local business market and strengthens development and application research. So far, it has made remarkable achievements in scientific research, winning over 430 awards at national level or provincial and ministerial levels, including National Awards for Natural Sciences, National Awards for Progress in Science and Technology, National Invention Awards, etc.. 

  In 2008, athletes from Soochow University won 2 gold medals and 1 copper medal at the 29th Beijing Olympic Games. Since 2009, Soochow University has received 17 National Key Research Program Funds, including 1 of the national “863 program funds”,6 of the national “military-related 863 program funds” ,2 of the national “973 program funds” ,1 of the national funds of grand-scale aircraft-related program,2 of the national key project of natural science research funds,5 of the national key innovative project funds of new medicine development and 90 other national funds of natural science project. The total Number of Funds won on the national level is 117, with total funds of ￥56.69 million.

  In humanities research areas in 2009, the University won 3 national open-tender project funds,1 national key project fund,13 national general project funds.

  In 2009, the number of patents filed was 228 and 97 was authorized. The national ranking among Institution of High Education by SCI index is 26th place.

  China’s reform and opening-up policy has provided the university with excellent opportunities for international academic exchange and cooperation. Soochow University has established cooperative relationships with more than 100 universities and institutions in Japan, France, Korea, Singapore, Germany, U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Every year the university accepts over 2,000 international students to study Chinese language and literature and other relevant majors.

  Soochow University consists of five campuses with a total area of more than 3,118 mu and a floor area of around 1.56 million square meters. The university library has a collection of about 4 million volumes and subscribes to about 2,800 domestic and foreign journals and magazines. It also has advanced equipment in the Center of Analysis and Measurement and the Center of Information Networks. The university has a publishing house which publishes academic journals such as Foreign Silk and Soochow University Journal in four discipline-oriented series.

  In recent years, Soochow University has been relying on strong economic strength and favorable cultural geographic conditions of Southern Jiangsu and exploring effective ways to serve local economy and social development, which is now regarded as its own distinct feature and motive power for running the school. The university has set up a goal to build it into a high-level university and make it “first-class at home and well known abroad”. Now with unprecedented insight and courage, it is moving steadily toward the realization of this goal.