Back to 1928, when China was facing national crisis and Guangxi Province was in urgent need of good governance, Guangxi University was established to undertake the task of revitalizing education of Guangxi.
Established in Wuzhou(1928-1936)
In the mid-1920s, in order to cultivate talents of Guangxi , the new clique of Guangxi warlord headed by Mr. Li Zongren, Mr. Bai Chongxi and Mr. Huang Shaohong, decided to establish Guangxi University. Dr. Ma Junwu, a famous scientist, educator, democratic revolutionist, regarded by Dr. Sun Yat-sen as "a world-renowned Doctor of engineering who is also capable of writing ", was appointed as the first President of the university.
Guangxi University was officially opened in the city of Wuzhou on Oct. 10, 1928. President Ma Junwu put forward the university tenet of "Defending China and developing Guangxi" and the university motto of "Diligent and sincere". He advocated taking in talented scholars to establish the system of higher education in Guangxi Province by the spirits of "hoeing" and "three strivings".
Relocated to Guilin, Shatang and Rongjiang(1936-1949)
In September 1936, Guangxi provincial government was moved from Nanning to Guilin, and Guangxi University was relocated to the scenic Xilin Park in Liangfeng, Guilin, opening a new chapter in history.
After the outbreak of the anti-Japanese war, Guilin became the Home Front to against Japanese aggression. Celebrities and scholars came to Guilin and were invited to give speeches, or employed as teachers of the university. By then, the university had the best teaching faculties, resources and teaching quality in China. Great minds and masters of the country were gathering in the eight disciplines of the university, creating an atmosphere of academic freedom and absorbing every nutrition that helped the growth of the university .Great contributions had been made to the education of Guangxi which earned the university a renowned national reputation. In August 1939, by the decision of the Executive Yuan of the National Government, Guangxi University was transformed into a national university. There were about 20 national universities in China at that time.
Later on, Guangxi University was relocated again to Shatang, Liuzhou, but the teaching activities were never interrupted by the war. Shatang Town, known as the Capital of Agriculture of China during the war, earned its fame because of the University’s policy of “Saving the nation by means of science and education”.
In the summer of 1944, the Japanese invaders were trampling down the land of Guangxi. Teachers and students of the university were forced to go west through arduous and dangerous journey to the county of Rongjiang, Guizhou, and insisted on taking classes there before moving back to Guilin upon the victory of the war.
During the war of anti-Japanese invasion, students of Guangxi University gave up academic pursuits to join the army and many of them shed blood in the battlefield.
During the Liberation War, the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Guangxi University organized teachers and students to carry out patriotic and democratic movements, such as "anti-hunger, anti-civil war and anti-persecution" demonstrations and University protection movements, actively joining in the great struggle to welcome the new China.
Rebuilt in Nanning (1958-1978)
After the beginning of the new Republic, Guangxi University set foot on a sure route to prosperity with the University name inscribed personally by Chairman MAO Zedong. In 1953, the university was adjusted into an agricultural university by complying to the order of Ministry of Education and the strategy of the central government.
In 1958, thanks to the then-governor Mr. Wei Guoqing, with the kind care of Chairman MAO Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai, Guangxi university was rebuilt in Nanning on the site of the former "Yucai school", a school for the children of Vietnamese leaderships during the Vietnam War.
During the mid-1960s, the routine teaching order was disturbed by the political movements such as “ the Great Leap Forward”. During the turbulent ten years of the “Cultural Revolution”, university facilities were destroyed, teaching was interrupted and scientific research came to a halt. When the national college entrance examination was resumed in 1977, the university welcomed its first batch of students after “the Cultural Revolution".
Reforming and advancing (1979-2011)
The Third plenary session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978 ushered in a new era of reform and opening up for Guangxi University.
In October 1996, Guangxi University passed the national preliminary examination of "Project 211" .
In March 1997, the former Guangxi University and the former Guangxi Agriculture University were merged to form the new Guangxi University.
In 1998, CPC General Secretary President Jiang Zemin wrote the inscription for the 70th anniversary of Guangxi University.
Through the construction of "the ninth Five-year plan", "the tenth Five-year plan", "the eleventh Five-year plan" and "Project 211", the educational infrastructure of the university has been fundamentally improved, and the overall level of its teaching faculty has been significantly enhanced. Guangxi University has become a local high-level university with distinctive regional features, entering the 21st century with a new posture.
Entering a new era (2012-now)
In November 2012, the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing, marking a new era for socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Guided by the spirit of the 18th CPC National Congress, the university has seized the historical opportunity of implementing Comprehensive Capacity Promotion Project of Chinese Universities in the Central and Western Regions and the construction of "Double First-class” project to strive ahead further, entering the new phase of speeding up the process of "Double First-class " and promoting connotative development.
In October 2017, the 19th CPC National Congress was successfully convened in Beijing. In December of the same year, the Ninth CPC Congress of Guangxi University was grandly held, which accelerated the "Double First-class" construction and comprehensive reform, aiming at building a first-class comprehensive research university with reasonable layout and distinctive features by the 100th anniversary of the university in 2028.
In 2018, Guangxi University becomes a co-construction university between Ministry of Education and Guangxi Government , which starts a new journey ahead.
Today, Guangxi University expands its size to more than over 1440 hectares with a large student enrolment of more than 40,000. The campus is covered by green trees and colorful flowers, with lucid lakes and clean fresh air. The University will take the advantage of the” Co-Construction between Ministry of Education and Guangxi Government” to ascend to new higher scale and realize the goal of “Double First–Class “ construction.
