Qian Xuesen University of Technology is coming? There is little hope that universities named after people will be approved

　　Liuyang, Hunan, is preparing to build Qian Xuesen University of Science and Technology, which binds Liuyang, a county-level city, with a highly respected scientist, and this has also attracted attention from all sides.

　　In the official document of the "Three-year Action Plan for Promoting the Construction of Hunan-Jiangxi Regional Cooperation Demonstration Zone in Hunan Province (2020-2022)" issued by the Hunan Provincial Government, "support the development of higher education in the region and promote the establishment of Qian Xuesen University of Science and Technology in Liuyang City. (Temporary name)" has been reprinted in bold and black by many media.

Is there a precedent for naming universities in China?

　　"The authority to approve undergraduate schools is in the Ministry of Education; the provincial government only has the authority to approve and approve higher vocational colleges, and it must be filed with the Ministry of Education." Zhou Guangli, vice dean of the School of Education, Renmin University of China, told a reporter from Chinanews.com. According to the data, what Hunan wants to build should not be a higher vocational college, but a high-level undergraduate college, and this must be approved by the Ministry of Education before it can be built.

　　It is more common to name a university abroad. For example, Harvard University and Stanford University in the United States, Kim Il Sung University in North Korea, and the National University of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam are all named after people. But there are relatively few in China, except for a few such as Sun Yat-sen University, Zhongkai College of Agricultural Engineering, Xinghai Conservatory of Music, and their existence has special historical reasons.

　　Since the founding of New China, there has not been a precedent for naming universities by names.

　　It is reported that the Ministry of Education has specific regulations on the establishment, upgrade, and naming of colleges and universities: The establishment of colleges and universities should be based on their level, type, subject category, scale, teaching and research level and location, and use names that reflect the characteristics of the subject. The school name cannot be preceded by the words "China", "China", or "country", cannot be named after an individual, and cannot use domain names other than the province (region, city) where the school is located.

Why is Qian Xuesen?

　　Qian Xuesen has no special relationship with Hunan. This nationally respected veteran scientist was born in Shanghai and his ancestral home is Hangzhou, Zhejiang. He is the founder of China's manned spaceflight and the winner of China's two bombs and one star meritorious medal. He is known as the "father of Chinese spaceflight" and "father of Chinese missiles". "Father of Chinese Automation Control" and "King of Rockets".

Qian Xuesen data map. Image source: Visual China

　　Hunan, a province in central China, plans to build the university named after Qian Xuesen, which is considered to have come from "Qian Xuesen's Questions." "Why does our school always fail to cultivate outstanding talents?" This is the question of the old scientist in his later years and the concern of the entire Chinese society.

　　In response to this problem, in 2009 the Ministry of Education launched the "Experimental Program for Training Top-notch Students in Basic Subjects", referred to as the "Everest Plan", and selected 17 universities to conduct pilot training of top-notch students in basic disciplines. Some of the schools that carry out the pilot program are named after people’s names to implement the pilot program, such as Yuanpei College of Peking University, Zhu Kezhen College of Zhejiang University, and Kuang Yaming College of Nanjing University. All of them are based on the historical development of the school. Named after the old principal or scientist who made outstanding contributions.

　　At present, the colleges and classes named after "Qian Xuesen" in Chinese universities are: Tsinghua University Qian Xuesen Mechanics Class, Xi'an Jiaotong University Qian Xuesen College, Nanjing University of Science and Technology Qian Xuesen College, Nanchang Institute of Technology, Qian Xuesen College, etc., are also positioned to cultivate top innovative talents .

　　In addition, among Chinese colleges and universities named after their names are: Schwarzman College of Tsinghua University, Li Ka-shing School of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Kaiyuan School of Law, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, Zhang Yimou School of Art, Hunan University, Wu Yuzhang College of Sichuan University, Bethune School of Medicine of Jilin University, Longping Branch of Graduate School of Central South University, Li Siguang College of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Sun Yueqi College of China University of Mining and Technology, Shuda College of Hunan Normal University, Wang Jian School of Law of Soochow University, Qu Qiubai School of Government and Management of Changzhou University, Zhou Youguang of Changzhou University Cultural College, Changzhou University Shiliang School of Law, Changzhou University Hua Luogeng College, etc., are all named after donors or celebrities with historical connections to the school.

　　But these are all colleges under the university, and none of them are named after people. Therefore, if Hunan wants to name a new university after Qian Xuesen, the competent authority will probably not be approved.

Building a high-level university does not have to be close to celebrities

　　In fact, the Qian Xuesen University of Science and Technology in Hunan is only temporarily named and has not been reported to the Ministry of Education for approval. Xiong Bingqi, deputy dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, told reporters that the intention of attracting attention and arousing attention cannot be ruled out. This also reflects the dilemma of building new schools in the central and western regions. However, to build a new school, in addition to the concerns of all parties, long-term development plans and strong teachers are needed to implement it.

　　Zhou Guangli said that now local governments are aware of "innovation-driven development" and talents are the key to supporting local development, coupled with abundant financial resources and willingness to run high-level universities, such as Southern University of Science and Technology, West Lake University, etc. came into being. Affected by this, the central region, which has developed and emerged in recent years, has also felt that development needs the support of education in the process of industrialization. Liuyang is a relatively wealthy county-level city under the jurisdiction of Changsha. Its geographical location is on the edge of the traditional city of Changsha. Hunan wants to do it. A high-level university also meets the needs of local development, but how to name it is still open for discussion.

　　But how to run a high-level university well is far from being able to run it with a name that attracts attention. It takes time to run a university well. With strong teachers, scientific planning, students of a certain level, and scientific research results of a certain level, this is by no means an overnight effort. Building a Qian Xuesen University can solve the "Qian Xuesen Question", which is obviously too simple.

　　Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences, reminded that in addition to the relevant approval process, the naming of a university must also be communicated with Qian Xuesen's relatives. Recognition is the respect for the named.

　　Author: Ma Haiyan