Chinese History
Chinese History is a traditional discipline of Shaanxi Normal University and it enjoys a high reputation in China. After 70 years of development, some famous scholars like Shi Nianhai, Si Weizhi, and Huang Yongnian have consistently stood out. In recent years, this discipline has achieved great development in construction, and this place has become an important place in historical research and personnel training.
Ancient Chinese History is a national key discipline, lots of well-known scholars throw themselves into this discipline. It has strength in research about the Zhou and Qin, Han and Tang dynasties. There are more than ten significant and key programs supported by national social science foundation, including the origin of ancient writing and Chinese civilisation, the political system and social history in pre-Qin times, the history of the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties and other domains. Lots of academic creative ideas of teachers in this discipline have made great contributions to the development of Chinese History, and the journal named Journal of the Tang Dynasty (唐史论丛), which was created by themselves, was inducted into the CSSCI.
Historical Geography, set up by the famous historian Shi Nianhai, is a national key discipline and key research institute of humanities and social science. It has attained great academic achievements in many domains, including change and reconstruction of the historical environment, historical agricultural geography, historical economic geography, historical urban geography and so on. The journal created by teachers of this discipline is named Journal of Chinese Historical Geography and is the only core journal in this field.
Studies of Historical Literature, set up by famous historian and philologist Huang Yongnian, is the contact department of national colleges committee in ancient books collation and studies. It enjoys unique features in historical documents of the Tang and Song dynasties, Bibliography of Ancient Books as well as literature arrangement and research of stone inscriptions. This discipline has attained a series of creative achievements, which has become its advantages, and it is the important institute of national ancient books collation and philology studies
Specialized History includes lots of research areas, such as economic history of the Sui and Tang dynasties, history of the northwestern nationalities, history of gender, study of Chang’an, research on the Silk Road and so on. Among them, history of Northeast Asia International Relations, the Character of Uighur People, the history of gender, and research on the Silk Road are more distinctive.
Modern and Contemporary Chinese History includes research directions like modern history of the northwestern regions, history of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region, history of Beiyang, and the history of ideas in the late Qing Dynasty. In recent years, modern history of northwestern regions has shown its strengths in research.
In the last four years, this discipline has hosted 68 national programs (over 1 per capita), acquired national, provincial and important project funding of more than 40 million yuan, published over 260 academic articles in core journals or above them, and published 67 monographs. In terms of personnel training, these disciplines have also made great achievements. 2 doctoral dissertations were awarded as national “one hundred excellent”, two were nominated, and many others were awarded as provincial great dissertations. Over the past four years, we have trained 64 doctoral graduates, 296 masters graduates with academic degree and 494 professional degrees. The quality of doctoral dissertations and masters’ theses has been widely recognised, and the professional quality, professional ethics and creative spirit of the graduates have been widely praised by employers and higher universities (research institutions).
World History
At the beginning of the history of Shaanxi Normal University in 1944, World History was included in the Historical Geography Department. Then World History was identified as a key subject of our school in 1956 and became the key subject of Shaanxi province in 1987. There emerged a batch of famous scholars such as Hu Xinian, Zhu Benyuan and Yang Cuntang and made remarkable academic chievements, which played a very important role in the northwest area, even in the whole country. In the 21st century, with the guidance of some scholars such as Bai Jiancai and Cao Weian, World History has entered into a new stage of development.
Soviet Union and Eastern European Studies has a long history and the advantages are obvious. With the help of some older scholars in our school such as Zhu Benyuan, Yang Cuntang and so on, our school has played an important role in Soviet Union and Eastern European Studies domestically since the 1980s, and the academic journal Soviet Union Historical Issues has had a great influence. Since the 21st century, our school studies Soviet history during the Khrushchev period and the formation of ancient Russian states which are in the forefront nationally. Professor Yang Cuntang is an expert on Soviet history during the Khrushchev period and the major contributor to Soviet Union History. Professor Cao Weian is the authoritative scholar on ancient Russian history and also one of the authors who wrote Russian History. Professor Hu Bo is an expert on Polish and Hungarian history. Professor Song Yongcheng researches Soviet Jews and professor Guo Xianghong specializes in the study of modern Russian law. Shaanxi Normal University is still an important force in the Soviet Union and Eastern European history studies in China.
Cold War History Studies started relatively early and had a big influence. In the 1990s, professor Bai Jiancai was one of the earliest domestic scholars who carried out Cold War history studies, then he studied the origins of the Cold War, the development process, the causes of the end and consequences. He was the chief editor of the U.S.-Soviet Cold War History which was the first book about the whole history of the Cold War. In recent years, he studies about covert movement strategy of America during the Cold War, which gained much attention in China and his series of research achievements has been reprinted many times by Xinhua Digest and so on. His achievements won the second prize of outstanding achievements in humanities and social science, philosophy social sciences research achievement of Shaanxi province and had a wide influence in academia. Professor Hu Bo studied the Hungarian crisis and eastern European socialist road under the background of the Cold War. In a word, our school has played an important role in cCold War history studies in China
Middle East and Central Asia Studies have many highlights and specialties. In the 1980s, our school started the research about Tungani in Central Asia and professor Wang Guojie Wang earlier put forward the concept of Tungani Study. In recent years, under the background of national strategy, our school opened up new areas of study in the history of the Middle East and Central Asia, especially about history and issues of Middle East and relationships between the big powers and countries of Middle East and Central Asia. We produced a batch of academic research, for example, professor He Zhilong has big influence in the field of international relations in the Middle East and the history of Cyprus; professor Li Bingzhong is an expert in Kurdish Issues and put forward the concept of Kurdish Studies in domestic academic circles; professor Zhan Jinjie has carried out in-depth study about the national construction of Iran. The studies of the Middle East and Central Asia have grown into a new point of world history development in our school.
Comparison of Chinese and Western Historiography Study has a solid basis and is developing strongly. In 2012, our school established the first Comparison between Chinese and Western Historiography Research Center in China, in which the famous scholar professor Liu Jiahe served as honorary chairman and the main members included Zhao Shichao, Wang Chengjun, Pang Hui and so on. Among them, professor Zhao Shichao studies about the governance of Chinese and Western countries and professor Wang Chengjun studies comparisons of Sima Qian and Plutarch, and both of them have gained great attainments. They also published a series of works about comparison of Chinese and western historiography, which had a big influence in China.
Medical Social History develops vigorously and has been under the spotlight. Since the 21st century, Medical Social History research become a new point of World History subjects in our school. It is high-profile that professor Li Huacheng who studies the Black Death of the Middle Ages and professor Ma Ruiying who studies pneumoconiosis in Britain in the 19th century. On this basis, in 2014, our school set up a Medical Social History Research Center which was the first one in China. It actively hosted think-tank building projects and published the Medical, Social and Culture Journal.
In the past five years, teachers of World History published 57 dissertations in authoritative journals such as History Study and so on, and published 14 monographs. We received five national and provincial level awards, and 23 national and ministerial subjects have achieved good results. For example, professor Li Huacheng demonstrated the title and facts of "Medical Social History" and took detailed discussion about the Scourge Movement during the Black Death. His views have been reprinted or cited many times. Professor Bai Jiancai's study has been reproduced or quoted which are about causes and consequences of the Cold War and the covert actions of United States during the Cold War. Professor Cao Weian’s studies also have been reported a lot whose content are about ancient Russian history, especially the study of formation problems in the ancient Russian state.
Many teachers of this discipline also are members of many important academic institutions in China and throughout the world. For example, professor Bai Jiancai served as vice-president of the American History Research Association of China, professor He Zhilong is a member of the Historical Discipline Committee of the Education Ministry, professor Hu Bo serves as the vice-secretary of Soviet Union and Eastern Europe History Research Association of China, professor Li Bingzhong is an Honorary Research Fellow at the IAIS and CKS of Exeter University. They play an important role in promoting the development of World History and expanding its influence.
Our school has also undertaken a series of high-profile domestic and international academic conferences such as The Annual Meeting and Academic Seminar of Modern World History of China in 2014, the International Academic Seminar about Public and Secret Battles between East and West during the Cold War and so on, which promote external communication. Some scholars such as He Zhilong, Li Bingzhong, Li Huacheng and so on went to Britain to attend large international academic seminars, and it promoted the international influence of World History of our school.
Archaeology and Museology
With the development of the studies of culture heritage and museology in China, Shaanxi Normal University set up the department of culture heritage and museology in 2000. The college has formed a complete system in training postgraduate, masters and doctoral students. Shaanxi Normal University has been proven as a culture heritage and museology talent training demonstration base by the State Cultural Relics Bureau. In the past ten years, the Archaeology discipline led by Professor Zhang Maorong has developed quickly.
Cultural heritage and Museology follows the social demand and becomes distinctive. Museology of our university is best in the northwest region. Professor Cao Wei, as the executive director of the Chinese Association of Museums, has deep attainments in Museum theory, museum management and other fields. Bu Lin and Hu Baohua have unique academic interpretation in the protection and exhibition of Chinese and foreign cultural heritage. Xu Tao and Guo Yanli assume several projects in cultural personnel training, cultural relics management, museum management and other aspects of State Cultural Relics Bureau and Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau.
Talent echelon in bronze and the paleography study is complete and the research ability is strong. Professor Zhang Maorong and Cao Wei, as the famous experts in the field of bronze and paleography study, have published several monographs in bronze research which were widely cited in the academic field; younger teachers, including Guo Yanli, Bi Jingwei, Wang Shuai and Hu Baohua have achieved abundant results in bronze, bronze weapons, paleography research. In addition, the college has a huge influence on the study of cultural relics of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties archaeology.
Paleography and Epigraphy Research covers bronze, bronze inscriptions, lute, seal, etc., Teaching staff include Zhang Maorong, Cao Wei, Guo Yanli, Bi Jingwei and Wang Shuai .
The archaeological study of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, pays more attention to the archaeological studies of the Shang and Zhou dynasties in the Northwest region, researchers include Guo Yanli, Zhu Junxiao, Zhang Yin and Hu Baohua.
In recent years, Archaeological Science Teachers in our university published 63 articles in Acta Archaeologica Sinina, Archaeology, Cultural Relics and other authorities, core journals and 15 monographs, won 6 awards covering provincial and ministerial level. In addition, 17 research projects are funded, including 7 national projects, various types of horizontal subject cumulative to the amount of nearly 300 million.
Cooperation with external institutions and achieve win-win development.
The college establishes cooperative research and teaching practice base along with the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, Xi'an Municipal Bureau of cultural relics, Sichuan Museum, Sichuan Provincial Institute of cultural relics and archaeology, Tianshui City Museum and more than 30 cultural units. On the other hand, the students anticipate the activities such as sorting out the collections, exhibition display design and audience survey work held by the Shaanxi History Museum, Baoji bronze Museum and other units. In addition they also participate in archaeological survey, data mining and finishing work in the Institute of Archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the National Museum, and other institutions in the University of Beijing, Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, Zhengzhou Municipal Institute of cultural relics and Archaeology. These activities will realize the complementary resources, teaching and scientific research can also promote each other.
Pay attention to international cooperation and exchange and dissemination of the excellent traditional culture.
Two professors, Zhang Maorong and Cao Wei have been invited to go to some famous universities and museums in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, Japan and other countries to conduct academic exchanges. Guo Yanli participated in the "early China" seminar in New York. Bu Lin once gave an academic lecture about Chinese cultural heritage while she was a visiting scholar in Boston; Xu Tao attended tombs art academic discussion hosted by the University of Chicago. Foreign experts also visit our university. Professor Lukas Nickel, vice president of the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies, university of Arts and humanities, Dr.Lars Fogelin, the vice president of Human College of University of Arizona, Professor Thomas Schoenemann, from Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences, all have carried out academic research with teachers and students about Han Dynasty tomb murals, American Archaeology and Archaeology of religion, human origin and evolution.
In recent years, our university has hosted more than 10 cultural personnel training covering different levels and the trainees amounted to 419. These training activities not only enhance the social influence of archaeology in our country, but also play an important role in improving cultural quality of business practitioners.