01.April.2024
Water stands the very reason that North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (NCWU) has emerged, survived and then thrived, along with the People's Republic of China's development of water resources and electric power. NCWU originated from Water Conservancy School of the Ministry of Water Resources of the Central People's Government, which was established in Beijing in 1951. Later, it was successively moved to Yuecheng Reservoir and Handan City in Hebei Province and renamed North China Institute of Water Resources and Electric Power in 1978. It was moved to Zhengzhou City, Henan Province in 1990, and its management was transferred to Henan Province by the Ministry of Water Resources in 2000. The Ministry of Water Resources and Henan Provincial Government signed the strategic agreement on co-development of North China Institute of Water Resources and Electric Power in 2009. It was renamed North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power in 2013. NCWU has been rated as the National Model University of Party Building Work, Henan Provincial Distinctive Key University, and Henan Provincial "Double First-class" University. NCWU is one of the first batch of master's degree-granting units in the country, one of the first batch of universities for the Midwestern University Infrastructure Construction Program, one of the first batch of universities with overseas student enrollment qualifications, one of the leading institutions of Chinese universities in the BRICS Network University, and one of the universities for "Excellent Engineer Education Program" of the Ministry of Education.
NCWU stays true to its original mission of "harnessing water to rejuvenate the country" and remains committed to serving national water resources and hydropower undertakings and regional economic and social development. Guided by the school running spirit of "Committed to Water Conservancy and Unremitting Self-improvement", NCWU has endured great hardships in its development with perseverance and finally has grown into a university owning coordinated development of science, engineering, management, agriculture, economics, literature, law and art, characterized by water conservancy and electric power and with engineering as its mainstay. NCWU has 68 full-time undergraduate majors, 38 master's degree-granting first-level disciplines, 4 doctoral degree-granting first-level disciplines, and 3 centers for post-doctoral studies. It has 22 provincial first-level key disciplines, 3 provincial distinctive key disciplines (groups), and 1 provincial specially- and urgently-needed distinctive key discipline. The engineering and environment/ecology disciplines have entered the top 1% of the ESI ranking. NCWU, with an area of 3,835 mu, has three campuses: Huayuan Campus, Longzihu Campus and Jianghuai Campus, and 24 teaching units, including the School of Water Conservancy and the College of Electrical Engineering. There are more than 36,000 full-time undergraduates, master's students, doctoral students and international students, as well as more than 2,600 faculty members, including over 820 teachers with senior titles, over 1,180 teachers with doctoral degrees, and over 130 high-level talents such as experts enjoying special government allowances from the State Council, national talents and Henan Provincial outstanding experts.
Talent training. NCWU implements the fundamental task of moral education and talent cultivation, continues to deepen the reform of education and teaching, and constantly upgrades the mode of talent training to cultivate "Humble, Hardy, Reliable, Practical and Capable" personnel. NCWU has 45 national and provincial first-level undergraduate majors construction sites, 17 national and provincial characteristic majors, and 10 majors (bases) of national and provincial excellent programs, as well as 135 national and provincial first-class courses. It has won 4 second prizes for national teaching achievements. Over 73 years since its establishment, NCWU has cultivated more than 500,000 senior professional and technical personnel and management talents for the country, including ministers of water resources such as Chen Lei, E Jingping and Li Guoying, and outstanding alumni in various fields such as Wu Xinfen (winner of the National Moral Model) and Liu Cixin (winner of the Hugo Award and the Global Highest Achievement Award in Chinese Science Fiction Literature). People praise that "where there are water-related affairs, there are NCWU graduates who have made impressive achievements." NCWU has been awarded the titles of "Advanced Collective of National Education System", "Advanced Collective of National College Graduates' Employment", "National 50 Universities with Typical Experience in Graduates' Employment", and "National May Fourth Red Flag Youth League Committee". It is one of the first batch of key colleges of Marxism in Henan Province and also one of the first batch of demonstration colleges of Marxism in Henan Province.
Scientific research. NCWU adheres to the "four orientations", strengthens organized scientific research, and consolidates the construction of scientific research platforms to create a robust scientific and technological innovation ecosystem. NCWU has set up 59 national and provincial scientific research platforms such as the Collaborative Innovation Center for Efficient Utilization of Water Resources, 185 specialized research institutions such as the Yellow River Research Institute and the Academy of Social Sciences for Water Control in the New Era, 6 provincial key laboratories such as Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Hydrosphere and Basin Water Security, and 22 provincial scientific and technological innovation teams such as the innovation team for efficient utilization of water resources and disaster prevention and reduction. It has been selected as the Yellow River Laboratory Research Base in Henan Province, becoming a leading member of the Yellow River Laboratory. NCWU has undertaken many national key R&D projects including the "R&D of key technologies and equipment for rapid blocking of large breaches in embankments", and won one Volker Medal of the International Hydrology Prize, the highest academic achievement award in the global hydrological science community, and five National Science and Technology Progress Awards. Since the beginning of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, NCWU has presided over and participated in more than 1,000 national, ministerial and provincial scientific research projects, won 279 science and technology awards at the ministerial and provincial level and above, including 9 first prizes of Henan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award and 2 first prizes of Dayu Water Conservancy Science and Technology Award, and published more than 3,600 high-quality academic papers in top journals such as Nature and Science, as well as SCI, SSCI, and EI, and more than 1,000 academic monographs. It has been awarded the "Advanced Collective of National Water Conservancy Science and Technology".
Social services. In line with national and local strategic needs, NCWU leverages its strength in water conservancy to continuously improve its social service capabilities, winning widespread praise from all walks of life. NCWU has paired up with the local government to assist Lankao County and Luyi County in getting rid of poverty, and thus won the honors of Innovation Award for Poverty Alleviation in Henan Province and Advanced Unit in Selecting the First Secretary. With the help of the Water Affairs Research and Training Center of the Ministry of Water Resources and the Henan River Chief Training College, NCWU has trained more than 300,000 professional and technical management personnel for industrial development and local economic growth. It has participated in the management of the Yellow River, the construction, operation and management of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, the Governance of Four Waters, and the Comprehensive Reform of Five Waters, and carried out key issue research and new think tank construction around seven major areas including water resources, water ecology, and water security. It has launched China's first inland water remote sensing satellite—"Huashui No. 1", installing the "eye of heaven" for the construction of smart water conservancy in China. The post-Wenchuan earthquake disaster relief and reinforcement work for small and medium-sized dangerous reservoirs guided by NCWU has become one of the reconstruction project models in Jiangyou City. The Intelligent Monitoring and Management during the Construction of the Sanhekou Water Control Project of the Hanjiang-to-Weihe River Water Diversion Project undertaken by NCWU has been named the demonstration project of smart water conservancy by the Ministry of Water Resources.
International cooperation Since 1958, NCWU has begun to accept international students and assisted in the construction of Vietnam University of Water Resources and Hydropower. It has continuously strengthened international cooperation and exchanges, expanded open education space, and formed a new pattern of all-round, multi-level, and wide-ranging international exchanges and cooperation. NCWU has established friendly cooperative relations with more than 130 foreign (overseas) universities. For example, it has established a Sino-foreign cooperative education institution with the Ural Federal University in Russia, launched 5 Sino-foreign cooperative education projects with world-class universities such as Teesside University in the UK, and founded Confucius Institute and Hua Yu Institute, the first overseas schooling project of NCWU, in cooperation with University College of Technology Sarawak, Malaysia. There are currently 482 international students in NCWU from countries along the "Belt and Road". NCWU has established international scientific research platforms such as the Water Engineering and Energy Research Center of BRICS Network University and BRICS University Alliance and the Sino-Russian High-speed Railway Research Center. It has been a member unit of the World Water Council, a member unit of the Asia Water Council, a member unit of the APEC Energy Partnership Network, and an EU talent training partner.
Cultural inheritance and innovation. NCWU faithfully implements Xi Jinping's thoughts on culture, adheres to the simultaneous development of "five educations", and has made remarkable achievements in educating people with culture. NCWU is the only national water education base for university venues and a national talent training base for water conservancy publicity, ideology and culture. It has established five provincial social science research bases, including the Water Culture Research Center and the Yellow River Basin Ecological Civilization Research Center. NCWU has the only experiential "Water Culture Center" among universities in China, and the online cultural education platform "Hua Shui Wei Du" has won the second prize for outstanding achievements in campus culture construction in national universities. NCWU has been rated as Henan Provincial First-Class University of Public Art Education for 6 times consecutively and as Henan Provincial Civilized Campus Model for 3 times consecutively.
With water resources and electric power as its mainstay, NCWU will adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, take educating people for the Party and the country as its mission, shoulder the responsibility of water control for the sake of people, abide by the motto of "diligence, rigor, truth-seeking, and innovation", and carry out the strategies of being "based on quality, strengthened by talents, prospered with characteristics, and activated by opening-up". NCWU will strive for leap-forward transformation and development, move forward towards the goal of creating a "double first-class" university, and contribute its efforts to the construction of an education power, water conservancy development in the new era, and high-quality economic and social development in Henan! (Updated in April 2024)