Anqing Normal University is the only university in the southwest of Anhui Province situated within Anqing, neighboring Linghu Park and with the Yangtze River flowing past it nearby. Anqing is one of the famous national historical and cultural 、 tourist and garden-like cities in China. It occupies a favorable geographical position, with such famous scenic mountains as Huangshan, Tianzhu Mt and Lushan Mt around it, and has convenient communication and transportation by land, river, and air. During the 170 years after 1760, Anqing was the capital city and the center of Anhui provincial politics, economy and culture. Being a new city, Anqing was one of the earliest cities, which accepted recent civilization. It is also the homeland of ‘ Tongcheng School ' which had ruled the Chinese Literary Forum for almost 200 years; the cradle of one of the Beijing opera ' s creators, Mr. Cheng Changgen; the birthplace and development area of Huangmei Opera; the hometown of Mr. Chen Duxiu, the pioneer of Chinese New Culture Movement.
The campus of Anqing Normal University has witnessed numerous changes in its long history. It was the birthplace of Anhui Province ' s higher learning. In 1897, JingFu Academy of Classical Learning ( established in 1652) moved here, and the celebrated thinkers and classicists like Liu Dakui, Wang Liangwu, Quan Zuwang, and Yao Nai etc, successively presided over the academy as presidents. Decreed by Emperor Guang Xu in 1898 the academy was converted into Qiushi School. In 1902, it became Anhui Academy of Classical Learning, and later transformed into the Military School of Anhui and then the Army School of Anhui. In 1928, the Provincial-run Anhui University was founded here and developed into the State-run Anhui University in 1946. Renowned scholars such as Zhou Yutong, Chen Wangdao, Xu Jie and Yu Dafu once worked here as teachers or visiting scholars. Up to now, both the imperial examination rooms and the long corridor of JingFu Academy built at the end of Qing Dynasty are in good repair. The Red Building of former Anhui University built in the 20s of the last century is still in use today. These buildings witnessed all changes of higher education of early days in our province. For 30 years after 1949, different kinds of schools were set up on this campus. In May 1980, approved by the State Council, Anqing Normal University was officially founded. In 2001, Anqing University (in preparation) was approved by the government of Anhui Province. In 2002, Anqing Normal University passed the quality appraisal to its teaching work run by the Ministry of Education. In 2004, the Academic Degrees Office of the State Council granted the university permission to enroll graduate students together with Anhui Normal University and the first 7 graduate students of inorganic chemistry were admitted into university. In 2004 and 2005, the university won the honor “ the Civilized Unit of Anhui Province ” . It was granted by the State Educational Committee the right to issue graduate diploma in 2005 and was awarded the “ Humanities and Quality base for university students ” in 2006.
The Linghu campus is situated at the southern bank of Linghu Lake and occupies 180mu. With JingFu Academy and other old buildings in it, the campus looks classical and tranquil. With a lot of trees and flowers all the year round, the campus is really an evergreen garden. The new campus is located in the Town of Great Dragon Mountain in north suburb of Anqing, and covers an area of 2664.12mu, which is the largest fenced campus of university in Anhui Province. On the campus, there is an Egong Hill, 106 meters above the sea level. There is also a Shuanglong Lake, with an area of water larger than 200mu. Five bridges of different structures cross the lake. A long-standing famous university located among luxuriant trees, grass and flowers and distributed between clear rivers and lakes. The campus has unique scenery and has a spacious, tidy and up soaring style.
There are 18 Schools and Departments and 69 majors of 4-year-course in the university and four majors of graduate students: School of Humanities; School of Politics and Law; School of Economical Management; School of Foreign Languages; School of History; School of Mathematics Science; School of Computers and Information; School of Physics engineering; School of Chemistry; School of Environmental Resources; School of Fine Arts; School of Education; Life Science Department; Physical Education Department and the Institute for Adult Education. It possesses more than 10 research institutes, like Research on Deng Xiaoping ' s Theory, Research on Cheng Duxiu, European and American Culture, the Study Center of Wanjiang Culture, Ancient Chinese Books Collection, Economics and Social Development, Applied Physics, Applied Chemistry, and Higher Education. The university publishes Anqing Normal University Journal, Teaching Science and Research Journal and Anqing Normal University News. There are quite a number of qualified teachers with rational age and academic-title structures in the university. The experimental facilities are well equipped and there are more than 1.9 million books in the library and reading rooms.
The university perseveres in combing scientific research with teaching work. The university pays great attention to the discipline building and has key discipline groups of different kinds. The professors and teachers are doing scientific and research topics of national grade and provincial grade. In the university, more than 100 scientific research achievement prizes at various levels have been awarded. More than 200 monographs, textbooks, dictionaries and collections have been published. Almost 5000 papers have been published in academic journals of, or above the provincial level.
It has seen the visitations and lecturing visits by the experts and scholars from the countries and areas like Japan, the U.S, Germany, Mexico, Turkey, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Japanese and American teachers have been invited to the university to run Japanese and English language training classes. Since 1993, foreign teachers have been invited to teach in the university all the year round. The university has frequently sent teachers and visiting scholars to study abroad and has good relations with some universities and colleges in U.S.A 、 France and Turkey.
The blue print of Anqing Normal University has been drawn up. All the students and teachers are determined to carry forward the good tradition of the university, and work hard to meet the bright future of Anqing Normal University.