A north-south road in the northwest of Haidian District, Beijing, starts from Jimen Bridge in the south and ends at Tsinghua East Road in the north, with a total length of 5.59 kilometers. It was completed and opened to traffic at the end of 1954, and it was named "College Road" because there are many colleges on both sides of the road.
On the way to the college, the "eight colleges" of agriculture, forestry, geology, minerals, steel, medicine, petroleum and aerospace have their own disciplines. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, they became the cradle of China's industrial economy, and countless national leaders, scientists, well-known scholars and frontline model workers were born here.
Today's Xueyuan Road and its famous universities.
Sixty years have passed, and today's "Eight Colleges" have already been upgraded to universities. Some of them have completely changed their names, and some have already moved away from their original sites. Today, more than 20 colleges and research institutes have been built on College Road, which has become more lively and prosperous. Today's young students can't count what the "Eight Colleges" are, but many old colleges are still on people's lips: Oh, you are a local college.
1. 1952, "Eight Colleges" was born.
The predecessor of University of Science and Technology Beijing is Beijing Institute of Iron and Steel.
In the early 1950s, realizing the national industrialization system was one of the urgent problems to be solved in new China. Facing the coming climax of economic construction, the old higher education system, especially engineering education, has been extremely unsuitable for the need of establishing an independent and complete national industrialization system. Therefore, the Central People's Government at that time decided to adjust colleges and universities, and build China's higher education system according to the Soviet Union's specialized education system of centralized management, state-owned higher education and high division of labor.
Looking through historical documents, we can see that 1 June, 9501day, Minister of Education Ma Xulun clearly put forward for the first time at the first national conference on higher education that the national public and private colleges and universities or some of their departments should be preliminarily adjusted to better meet the needs of national construction. As a result, in addition to leaving some comprehensive universities, many universities across the country have been demolished and reorganized according to the professional settings to form professional colleges of various subjects.
Universities in Beijing are very active in this merger. At that time, Peking University, Tsinghua, Yanjing, Fu Jen and many other specialized schools merged immediately to form eight specialized science and engineering colleges, namely, Beijing Institute of Geology, Beijing Institute of Mining, Beijing Institute of Iron and Steel Industry, Beijing Institute of Aeronautics, Beijing Institute of Petroleum, Beijing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Beijing Forestry College and Beijing Medical College, which were called "Eight Colleges".
Haidian District, northwest of Beijing, has planned a large university area in order to build school buildings. Thus, in 1952, the school buildings of "Eight Colleges", which were originally a barren land, started to break ground one after another, starting from Tsinghua East Road in the north and reaching Jimen Bridge in the south. The campuses of these eight schools face north and south, and a broad avenue is formed in the middle. This is the earliest university town in Beijing-"Xueyuan Road".
Second, poor oil, rich steel and great mining.
Students of Beijing Institute of Mining and Technology carry out school building work.
At the beginning of the establishment of the "Eight Colleges", there was a buzzword "poor oil, rich steel, big mining." This refers to the comparison of campus environment at that time. At that time, the steel and mining industries were relatively mature, and with the assistance of relevant ministries, the school was beautifully built. The oil industry has just started, and it is relatively difficult to establish a school.
Yu Shicheng, a former professor of Petroleum Institute, mentioned that the petroleum industry was in a very difficult period when the People's Republic of China was founded. 1953, the main building of the Petroleum Institute, which started in Jiujianfang Village, has not been built yet, so teachers and students have to hold a simple opening ceremony on the campus, which is half gardening and half construction site.
1953 the only completed building, which also serves as student dormitory and staff dormitory. It is not only an office building, but also a library and clinic. The scaffolding of the first dormitory building has not been dismantled, and we can only live in half, so everyone moves in. Later, the first floor was repaired and moved into the first floor. Students attend classes in temporary shelters without roads and playgrounds.
It has been renamed the Iron and Steel Institute of University of Science and Technology Beijing, and it was lucky at that time. The initial campus construction was based on Moscow Institute of Iron and Steel. Although the main annex building does not have the most iconic wooden spire and red five-star in the Soviet architectural style, it is still a typical Soviet architectural style, square and unpretentious.
The old man of the steel institute told the reporter a popular saying: It is said that the steel institute chose to build with Beijing Medical University, which is also based on the precedent that Moscow Institute of Iron and Steel and textile mills live next to each other-most boys in the steel industry, and most girls in textile mills and medical schools. The purpose is self-evident. Although it is just a joke, we can really see the influence of the Soviet model on the Eighth Hospital.
Third, stories that we will never forget.
Rivers meet in streams.
Throughout history, the suicide notes of the Eighth National Congress have been spliced into a series of images, which clearly show many famous people.
After half a century's hard work, the "eight colleges" on the university road have achieved fruitful results and countless celebrities have graduated. Among them are well-known academicians, scientists with outstanding achievements, political elites, entrepreneurs who have devoted themselves to the national economy, and many unknown ordinary workers who have written glories for the country with their youth and blood.
The old academician stood in the truck and went to school.
Simple classroom teaching, self-made teaching AIDS, translation of Soviet textbooks. At the beginning of the establishment of the "Eighth Hospital", everything was carried out in exploration and practice. Like the years of the country, it experienced a period of hard struggle.
Wei Shoukun was one of the oldest academicians of China Academy of Sciences and one of the seven founders of the Iron and Steel Institute at that time. At the beginning of 1952, every morning, Academician Wei Shoukun and his colleagues stood on an open truck and bumped all the way from Tsinghua to their school, giving lessons to their classmates in two simple classrooms. At noon, we don't have our own canteen. Teachers and students eat with workers.
Ai Yin Qian, former secretary of the Party Committee of Agricultural University, told reporters that due to the shortage of funds when the school was founded, the old cars and tractors eliminated by United Nations relief agencies became the objects of teachers' self-made teaching AIDS. The teachers split the old tractor in half so that the students could see inside. There are no ready-made textbooks at all, and most of them are compiled and taught according to the original textbooks of the former Soviet Union.
"Most teaching aids are homemade." Zhang Benlin, a retired professor of precision instruments at Beihang University, told reporters that at that time, in order to explain the structure of the instrument to students, the American plane that was shot down was "dissected" by one eighth, and the mechanical core inside was removed to explain the three-dimensional structure of the instrument to students.
Fujian outsmarted the tiger by looking for mineral resources.
During the great steelmaking period from 65438 to 0958, the Institute of Geology organized dozens of "prospecting teams", mainly looking for iron ore, which were distributed in various provinces of China. Zhao, an academician of China Academy of Sciences and president of Geological University, led sixty or seventy teachers and students to the mountainous areas of Fujian. The local forest is dense and the grass is deep, and tigers and poisonous snakes are everywhere. The players just took off their shoes and waded across a river ditch. There is another river ditch just a few steps away. They often have to climb trees to explore the road. The schoolgirl grabbed the grass and followed her up the hill. Sometimes they catch grass and snakes.
There is no road, and the team walks along the tiger in the mountain. The students are carrying lunch boxes full of stones. When they see the tiger from a distance, they shake the lunch box to scare it away. Students should not only carry mosquito nets with them to prevent filariasis from spreading through mosquitoes, but also be mistaken by villagers as "airdrop agents" to report from time to time.
Hard work pays off. The team of this geological college led by Zhao Peng drew the first geological map of 1 ratio1:200,000 in Fujian during prospecting.
The oil girl was on a documentary.
"Some students almost transferred to another school in their junior year." Yu Shicheng, a professor at the former Petroleum Institute, told reporters that due to the delay in discovering large oil fields, some anxious students almost turned to industries that can produce first-line products. 1959 just discovered Daqing Oilfield, and everyone's enthusiasm was extremely high immediately. More than 700 teachers, students and senior students from Petroleum Institute attended the meeting, including teachers and students majoring in petroleum exploration and even petroleum refining, chemical engineering and thermodynamics.
The school simply moved the teaching point to the exploration site of Daqing Oilfield. At that time, three years of natural disasters, students went to the oil field to live in a windowless cellar and eat potatoes at a time, just like the scene in the movie Wang Jinxi.
At that time, the "water jacket heating furnace" invented by teachers Zhang Ying and Ren Ying in Daqing Battle solved the big problem of crude oil transportation and became one of the two major technological innovations in Daqing Battle. Yuan, a fifth-grade student majoring in oil production, served as the captain of the first women's oil production team in Songliao, and the news recording film factory later made a film based on her.
"Beijing No.1" was born in the gymnasium.
"Beijing No.1" was the first aircraft manufactured by Beijing Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics during the Great Leap Forward, and this light transport aircraft is still widely used today. Zhang Benlin, the teacher at that time, remembers that in 1958, the teachers and students of the whole school announced the advent of the "Beijing 1" light passenger plane within 100 days. On that 100 day, the teachers and students of the project team turned the school gymnasium into an assembly room, and the senior students and teachers lived there day and night, designing, processing and making them themselves. "I can't even take care of the canteen, and some people send steamed buns to the gym." Zhang Benlin said.
Sihanouk "moved" the small steel guard.
1958 was the period of iron and steel smelting, and Premier Zhou accompanied Prince Sihanouk to visit Beijing Institute of Iron and Steel. At the school's then boutique factory practice base, Prince Sihanouk stared at a small steelmaking stove for a long time in a hot steelmaking scene. This kind of furnace is electroslag steelmaking furnace, which generally produces special military steel such as aircraft carrier motherboard and is still one of the advanced technologies in the world until now.
The "Eight Colleges" are all strong sports schools.
In the reporter's interview, the old professors of the "Eight Colleges" are all proud of their school's sports achievements without exception. This is inseparable from the strict requirements of the college for students' physical quality in that era.
Zhao, president of the University of Geology, still remembers morning exercises in the 1950s. As soon as the whistle sounded, the students came out of the dormitory and did exercises with the radio neatly, without interruption in spring, summer, autumn and winter. "If you are engaged in geology, how can you go out in the wild if you are in poor health?" Unintentionally inserted willows into the shade. Professor Zhao told reporters that many mountaineers in China are students of Geological University.
For example, 1984 Wang Yongfeng, who graduated from hydrogeology, 1993 climbed Mount Everest, and he was one of only two mountaineers in China who conquered the highest peaks of seven continents. Ziluo, a Tibetan student majoring in geophysics, is the first college student in China to climb Mount Everest.
Speaking of great mountaineers, there is another secret:1At 4 am on May 25th, 960, Wang Fuzhou, who graduated from university, and his teammates Kampot and Qu successfully climbed Mount Everest. This is the first time that mankind has successfully climbed to the top from the north side of Mount Everest, and the People's Daily has added a number.
However, overseas countries do not recognize that China people have climbed Mount Everest. According to international practice, they have to take a 360-degree photo to confirm after the summit, but it was four o'clock in the morning and they couldn't take pictures. In addition to taking pictures, you can also wait for the successful summit to find the items left behind. It was not until 1984 that China people discovered the plaster statues left by Wang Fuzhou and others when they reached the summit of Mount Everest. 1960 College students successfully climbed Mount Everest and were recognized by the world.
"'Tsinghua, Peking University, Ganglaosan', this is the movement of the Steel Institute." Chen Jie, a teacher at University of Science and Technology Beijing, told reporters that in the basketball match of Beijing universities in the late 1950s, The men's basketball team of the Institute of Iron and Steel Engineering faced the men's basketball team of the Institute of Physical Education, and the amateur team beat the professional team by 5 points, which caused a sensation in the national college sports.
Zhong Nanshan, an academician of China Academy of Engineering, broke the national record of 400-meter hurdles in the first National Games with a score of 1958 when he was a junior in Beijing Medical College, and won the runner-up in the men's decathlon. Today, Zhong Nanshan has set several sports records in Beijing Medical College, which no one can break. Wu Yi, former vice premier of the State Council, was also an active member of the women's handball team when he was studying in Petroleum Institute, and also left a heroic photo on the field.
Fourthly, the migration of the "Eight Academies"
"Now there are two China Geo-Universities, Beijing Geo-University and Wuhan Geo-University." In the late 1960s, four of the "eight universities" moved out of their original sites.
Since 1969, many large and medium-sized cities have begun to evacuate their populations due to the severe international situation and the escalation of national combat readiness. At that time, some leaders suggested, for example, how to stay in the city for agricultural colleges and mining colleges? So, 1969+00, in June, four of the "big eight" left Beijing at the behest of the central authorities.
China University of Mining and Technology 1969 began to move to Chongqing, Sichuan, and then moved to Sanhuiba, Hechuan County. 1982 moved to Xuzhou Mining Area, Jiangsu Province. China Geo University moved to Wuhan, Hubei. Petroleum University moved to Shengli Oilfield in Dongying, Shandong Province, and was renamed East China Petroleum Institute. China Agricultural University first moved to Chongqing, and then moved to Xingtai, Hebei.
"When we moved, the whole box was carrying precision machinery, and others called us' Box University'," Ai Yinqian, secretary of the Party Committee of Agricultural University, told reporters. Beijing Institute of Iron and Steel was originally determined to move out. On the night of boarding the train, the emergency notice was left in the local area, so the institute was lucky to stay in Beijing.
In those years of immigration, the school only recruited workers, peasants and soldiers. It was not until the college entrance examination was resumed in the late 1970s that several stormy colleges and universities returned to Beijing one after another. Most of them returned to Xueyuan Road, and only Petroleum University moved to Changping.
From 1980s to 1990s, eight colleges were renamed universities. Beijing Institute of Iron and Steel was renamed University of Science and Technology Beijing. Beijing Forestry College was renamed Beijing Forestry University. College of Agricultural Machinery was renamed China Agricultural University. Beihang University was renamed Beihang University. Beijing Medical College was merged into Peking University, and now it is peking university health science center.
It is particularly worth mentioning that Beijing Institute of Geology, Beijing Institute of Mining and Beijing Institute of Petroleum have been split into two after several migrations, forming the current pattern of six universities: China University of Geology (Wuhan), China University of Geology (Beijing), China University of Mining and Technology, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Youshi University in China (East China) and Youshi University in China (Beijing).
Beijing Institute of Geology: 1970 moved out of Beijing temporarily. 1975 moved to Wuhan, temporarily renamed Wuhan Institute of Geology. 1978, the former Beijing campus was established in graduate department, Beijing. 1987, the State Education Commission approved the renaming of the former Beijing Institute of Geology as China University of Geology, with schools in Beijing and Wuhan. In 2005, the university headquarters in Wuhan was abolished, and the two campuses in Wuhan and Beijing were independent. Namely China Geo University (Beijing) and China Geo University (Wuhan).
Beijing Institute of Mining and Technology: During the period from 65438 to 0952, Beiyang University, Tangshan Jiaotong University and Tsinghua University Mining Department were placed under China Institute of Mining and Technology. 1953, in order to achieve greater development, the school moved to Beijing and changed its name to Beijing Institute of Mining and Technology. 1978, the school was rebuilt in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, the name of China Institute of Mining and Technology was restored, and Beijing graduate department was established in the original site of Beijing Xueyuan Road. 1988, the school was renamed as China University of Mining and Technology. 65438-0997 China University of Mining and Technology was approved by the State Education Commission.
In 2000, the whole school was handed over to the Ministry of Education for direct management. Later, the East Campus of Beijing Campus was transferred to Beijing Broadcasting Institute. The school headquarters in Xuzhou and the Beijing campus have gradually evolved into two independent school-running entities.
Beijing Petroleum Institute: 1969, the school moved to Shengli Oilfield in Dongying, Shandong Province, and changed its name to "East China Petroleum Institute". Graduate department was established in the original campus of 198 1 Beijing Petroleum Institute. 1988 was renamed "University of Petroleum", headquartered in Beijing, and composed of two parts: University of Petroleum (Beijing) and University of Petroleum (East China).
June, 5438+October, 2005/KLOC-0, the school was renamed "China Youshi University". At the same time, the two schools run separately and become two independent entities. The school that stayed in Japan became China Youshi University (East China). In August 2004, the Ministry of Education approved China Youshi University (East China) to build Qingdao Campus.
Youshi University in China has experienced many relocations and splits. At present, China Youshi University (Beijing) has moved to Changping District, and China Youshi University (East China) has two campuses: Qingdao and Dongying.
Five, the "eight colleges" are rich in academicians.
Although it is impossible to verify whether Xueyuan Road is the area with the largest number of academicians in China, the number of academicians graduated from the old "Eighth Academy" is still embarrassing.
University of Science and Technology Beijing has produced 3/kloc-0 academicians, including Wei Shoukun, Ke Jun and Xiao Jimei. During the iron and steel smelting period of 1958, Li Yiyi, an academician of China Academy of Sciences, just graduated from the then Beijing Institute of Iron and Steel. She recalled: we all lived on the stove and usually had three shifts. It is often midnight when I go to work alone.
By the time of the "high-yield satellite launch" Great Leap Forward, we were working in shifts of 12 hours. Looking back today, I feel that I was quite courageous at that time, and I was very pleased and proud. Our No.1 Middle School was awarded by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and named as "Youth Blast Furnace".
China Alumni Association Network's "2009 National University Academician Ranking" shows that among the top 20 universities in China, the established "Eight Colleges" accounted for 4 seats. Among them, China Geo University ranked12; University of Science and Technology Beijing ranking15; Beihang ranking16; Rank of China Agricultural University 17. The number of academicians from Youshi University in China, Beijing Forestry University and China University of Mining and Technology also ranked in the top 40.
Sixth, a scene on campus.
The Green Garden of Beihang University
One scene that Beihang University is proud of is the garden known as the "big green garden". This park-like green space stands among the green trees, and there is even a lake and a small pavilion. The Green Garden is the largest garden in the "Eight Colleges", which nourishes students from generation to generation like a big green lung.
According to the old teacher of Beihang University, the most common images in the Green Park are students sitting by the lake reading sporadically, toddlers on the path, elderly people doing morning exercises peacefully on the grass, and passers-by who pass by don't forget to look at the beautiful scenery in the park. During the SARS period, it became a place where many people sought peace. Many students of Beihang University have written small poems to describe the beauty of green gardens.
Geo-university road
The campus of Geo University is very large, with kindergartens, primary schools, middle schools, residential buildings and various shops. Some people joke that a university is like a micro-society, which can be solved here from birth to graduation. Students from big countries are impressed by a straight road, which is one kilometer long from the east gate to the west gate without a bend. Such a long straight road is hard to see in other colleges and universities.
Ginkgo forest in iron and steel institute
Because of the picturesque scenery, especially a large golden ginkgo forest, Steel Research Institute was chosen as the shooting place for many TV dramas and MVs. "Ginkgo Avenue" is located on the south side of the library. Ginkgo trees are dotted on both sides of the road, which is a landscape all year round.
In summer, ginkgo trees are lush in Lin Yuyu, and birds are singing happily in the branches. In autumn, the trees are covered with yellow leaves, and the fallen leaves dance like Huang Die. "Just like yesterday four years ago, the yellow ginkgo leaves were still blue." At the graduation party in 2006, the students also sang their own "Ginkgo biloba" to express their nostalgia for the campus.
Old willow trees on the red flag playground of Petroleum University
There is a famous willow tree in Hongqi playground of Petroleum University. Professor Yu Shicheng told reporters that when he went to college here in the 1950s, this leafy old willow tree was here, so strong that two people could hold it together. Later, when the playground was repaired, I was reluctant to move trees. For this tree, the playground was moved two meters during the construction.
This old willow tree has always been a symbol of petroleum university, and it was still there until it moved to the school. Now, because the original school site was occupied and expanded, this big tree has disappeared. Yu Shicheng, who is nearly 80 years old, told reporters that there are many large poplars and willows in the Youth Park of Petroleum Institute, which were planted by himself in those years and are still preserved today. Many old professors now recall their youth and always look for that tree when they are studying.
Seven, "eight colleges"
The University of Geology has the largest number of academicians.
There have been more than 30 academicians in China Geo University, and now the oldest academician is nearly 1 10 years old. The University of Geology has the largest number of academicians in the old "Eighth Academy". In the 1950s and 1970s, many academicians of the two academies were trained by the School of Geology at that time. For example, Ouyang Ziyuan, the chief scientist of China's lunar exploration project and known as the "father of Chang 'e", 1956 graduated from the School of Geology.
According to the ratio of previous academicians to the number of students each year, 1 academician can be selected from an average of 2000 people. Schools often use this to encourage each new student: you should produce at least two academicians this year.
The iron and steel institute has the largest number of mayors.
According to the relevant person in charge of University of Science and Technology Beijing, the Institute of Iron and Steel is known as the "cradle of mayors", and successive mayors or deputy mayors of more than 30 cities across the country have graduated from the former Institute of Iron and Steel.
It is reported that former Beijing Mayor Liu Qi and Vice Mayor Sun, Shanghai Mayor Xu He and Vice Mayor Zhu Zongbao, Chongqing Vice Mayor Zhao Gongqing, Nanjing Mayor and Vice Mayor Huang Mengfu, Guangzhou Mayor Zhang Guangning and Vice Mayor Chen Mingde all served as mayors and deputy mayors in the Institute. Coincidentally, Gao Yunsheng, the first president of Beigang, was the mayor of Huangshi, and Zhang Wenqi, the second president, was the first deputy mayor of Tangshan after liberation.
There are the most climbers in this land.
In the university world, there is a saying that mountaineering is to China Geo University, just as Chinese is to Peking University and science is to Tsinghua. There is no special mountaineering major in Dida, but mountaineering is a compulsory course for geological majors, and many students have become famous mountaineers.
1958, the first amateur mountaineering team in China was established by the then Institute of Geology. 1960, 1958 graduate Wang Fuzhou climbed Mount Everest. 196 1 The women's mountaineering team climbed Jiubie Peak (7595m above sea level) in Gong Geer, Xinjiang, setting a world record for women's mountaineering. According to the records of the school history, more than 5,900 teachers and students of Geo University have successively obtained the mountaineer certificates issued by the State Sports Commission, which is indeed the largest number of mountaineers trained.
End of movement
66-year-old Xueyuan Road
The "eight colleges" that used to be on Xueyuan Road are all gone now-they have all been upgraded to "universities", which makes the name Xueyuan Road look a bit "old". The only constant is that many institutions of higher learning, including the Eighth National Congress, still "settle down" here, and it is still the most important educational and scientific research center in Beijing and even the whole country.
2065438+September 2007, the national double-class list was officially announced, and all the "eight colleges" on the college road were selected. Among them, Beihang University, China Agricultural University and peking university health science center have been selected or become part of world-class universities, while China Geo University, China Youshi University, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing Forestry University and University of Science and Technology Beijing have been selected as world-class universities for discipline construction.
Today, for colleges and universities in many industries, including the Eighth Academy, how to further develop their own advantages, closely combine the strategic needs of national economic and social development, and embark on a road of characteristic development will be the biggest test of the 66-year college road.