School History

1926.08

The Department of Biology at Tsinghua University was established. Botanist Qian Chongshu took up the first dean, a batch of famous biologists were trained.

• 1930

  The Biology Building was founded and the Branch of Biology of the Institute of Science was formally set up and started recruiting graduate students. At that time most courses adopted American textbooks, teaching and research were mainly concerned with experimental biology, focusing on theories while neglecting practice.1935, journal report seminar was carried out in biology department and biology academy was founded.

• 1937

  The National South-West Associated University (NSWAU) was established after the Anti-Japanese War broking out, the Department of Biology in Tsinghua and Peking University were merged and renamed the Department of Biology of (NSWAU)), the dean of which was Jidong Li.

• 1946.05

  After China's triumph in the Sino-Japanese War, the teachers and students of Tsinghua University came back to BeiPing (now Beijing) from Aug. to Oct. The Department of Biology suffered from heavy destruction during the occupation by the enemy.

• 1952-1984

  In the nationwide reorganization of universities, the Department of Biology of Tsinghua University was merged into other universities, leaving the field of biological research a vacancy in Tsinghua for a long time. Yet at the same time, life science research has blossomed and astonishing accomplishments were being achieved worldwide.

• 1984.06

  In Jun. 1984, the university leaders decided to resume the department; in Sep. 1984 the Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology (DBSB) was formally re-established. The dean of the department was Muming Pu. During the development of the DBSB, the Department of Biology of Peking University, the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and many other organizations, as well as biologists out of Tsinghua and China, provided valuable support and help.

• 1984-2009.09

  The DBSB made significant achievements in scientific research and teaching, and cultivated a large group of young scholars, some of which made contributions in the field of biological research home and abroad.

• 2009.09-Now

  The School of Life Sciences (SLS) of Tsinghua university, abbreviated School of Life Sciences was officially organized in September 2009; at the same time, the Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology was rescinded.