Zhang Qian

    zhqcindy@163.com

    ANOTHER two top domestic universities have agreed to establish Shenzhen campuses in the near future.

    The city government signed Memorandums of Understanding with Wuhan University and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine yesterday.

    According to the MOU signed by Shenzhen Mayor Xu Qin and Li Xiaohong, president of Wuhan University, the university based in the capital of Central China’s Hubei Province expects its Shenzhen campus in Guangming New Area to enroll 15,000 students for bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees. The new college will put a focus on building interdisciplinary faculties that incorporate majors including IT, commerce, life science and social management. Authorities are still unsure when the campus will open.

    As one of the top universities in China, Wuhan University is expected to bring along its top-level curricula to the Shenzhen campus.

    “The purpose of setting up the Shenzhen campus is that we can take advantage of Shenzhen as one of the most open cities in China to bring subjects that are suitable for Shenzhen’s social and economic development,” said Li.

    The Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, one of the most prestigious medical colleges in China, said the first-phase of construction on its Shenzhen campus in Pingshan New Area will be completed in 2019, which is designed to enroll around 6,000 students within eight to 10 years.

    “We will have different expectations for our Beijing and Shenzhen campuses,” said Xu Anlong, president of the university. “While the Beijing college will continue to focus on inheriting traditional Chinese medicines, the Shenzhen campus will be more innovative and explore the combination of modern technologies and TCM.”

    According to an announcement made by the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau earlier this year, Shenzhen is making efforts to communicate with prestigious universities from home and abroad to set up campuses in the city.

    Universities that are on the negotiation list include Renmin University of China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tsinghua University, adding to the newly signed universities such as Peking University, Wuhan University, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, and Sun Yat-sen University.

    There are currently 12 universities in Shenzhen, including Shenzhen University, Southern University of Science and Technology, and Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Some of the universities were jointly established by overseas universities like the University of Queensland, University of Rochester and University of Moscow.