Yunnan University celebrates 99th birthday

Yunnan University, or YNU – located in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province – is widely known for having one of the most beautiful campuses in China, with the cherry blossoms in spring and its ginkgo biloba in the fall often praised and searched for on media platforms.

There is a park for squirrels, peacocks, black swans and white swans. It is no exaggeration to say that this is a "branch" of Kunming Zoo.

A beautiful peacock strolls about in the grounds of the university. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

It is the school that is said to favor students the most, with 3 yuan ($0.47) of cheap and delicious rice noodles and meals to be had with meat and vegetables for their daily nourishment.

There are more than 20 dishes made of rose ingredients on offer at YNU, to improve the variety of meals for students. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

A view of Yunnan University in bygone days. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

Famous masters in modern China gathered at YNU – Liu Wendian, Lin Tongji, Fei Xiaotong, Hua Luogeng and others. The disciplines there are said to be impressive, with its literature, law, science, engineering, medicine and agriculture having had an undeniable influence at home and abroad. In 1946, the authoritative Encyclopedia Britannica listed Yunnan University as one of the 15 Famous Universities in China.

Today, YNU – as it is also known – has become a great university with complete and characteristic disciplines, talent-intensive scientific research and outstanding achievements in platform construction.

In 1996, it was listed as one of the first batch of key construction universities in the national 211 Project. In 2017, it became one of the first 42 "first-class universities and disciplines" in the country. In addition, it was selected to be in the second round of national first-class universities and disciplines in 2022.

On April 20, YNU celebrated its 99th birthday. Founded in 1922, YNU officially opened its doors on April 20, 1923.

Generations of teachers have made their unstinting contributions over the decades and Yunnan University is said to have trained more than 200,000 outstanding graduates.