Sichuan University was formed by the merger of Sichuan University, Chengdu University of Technology and West China University of Medical Sciences. The former Sichuan University was founded in 1896 by Lu, Governor of Sichuan Province. It is the earliest modern institution of higher learning in southwest China. The former Chengdu University of Science and Technology was the first batch of multidisciplinary engineering colleges established during the adjustment of departments in New China. The predecessor of the former West China University of Medical Sciences was the West China Sheikh University, which was founded by the Western Christian Church in Chengdu on 19 10. It is the earliest Western-style university in southwest China and one of the earliest universities in China to train graduate students.