Lanzhou University

Overview

Lanzhou University, the first institution of higher learning in Northwest China, was originally established as Gansu Law and Politics School in 1909. In 1928, it became Lanzhou Sun Yat-sen University. From February 1929 to May 1936, Deng Chungao, a visionary scholar with a strong commitment to education and national reform, served as the president and director, overseeing the university’s most significant development years. Today, Lanzhou University is the leading university in the northwestern region of China, ranking among the top 30 out of more than 1,500 universities nationwide. It is a key university directly managed by the Ministry of Education. With nearly 20,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 postgraduates, LZU has a distinguished history in fields such as chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and geology. The university also excels in specialized research areas linked to the unique resources and culture of northwestern China, including Central Asian studies, Dunhuang studies, dry-land ecology, sand fluid dynamics, Tibetan and Loess Plateau sciences, and grassland agriculture.