The Jinan School, which began in the 32nd year of Guangxu (1906), should have arisen from the Shangshu of Duanfang, the governor of Liangjiang, allowing "overseas Chinese from the islands of Nanyang, Honolulu, San Francisco and other places" to return to Nanjing to study. In this school located in Xuejia Lane, Nanjing, the first batch of students who returned from overseas felt warm and caring, and the management of the "home school system" made them appreciate the feelings of home and country in a foreign Chinese land.
In 1907, as overseas Chinese students arrived in Nanjing, Jinan School gradually revealed its educational influence. However, during the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, the school was attacked, and many students had to embark on the journey home or join the revolutionary ranks. Since then, Yuan Shikai's negative attitude has led to the suspension of Jinan School for a time and its temporary withdrawal from the historical stage.
In 1917, when the war was settled, Jinan School sailed again, and then became the "National Jinan School", and moved to Zhenru Town, Shanghai in 1923, and gradually grew into National Jinan University with the tide of the times. Under the leadership of President Zheng Hongnian, the disciplines have been improved day by day, and academic research and sports have built an alternative glory for Jinan.
Disasters are always unexpected, and the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937 forced Jinan University to be displaced. After the war, although it was not able to return to the old site, it found temporary shelter on Baoshan Road and East Sports Club Road. However, in 1949, as a few people including the then president Li Shouyong went to Taiwan, Jinan's flag on the mainland was temporarily lowered.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Faculty of Liberal Arts, the Faculty of Law, and the Business School of Jinan University were merged into other institutions of higher learning, and the campus, which symbolizes the spirit of Jinan, was silent for a short time. But its spark never died, and in 1958, thanks to the strong support of Tao Zhu, then the first secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, Jinan University was reborn in Guangzhou like a phoenix.
In the following decades, Jinan University has always maintained its loyalty to education and the inheritance of the spirit of overseas Chinese. It has always been firmly positioned as an institution of higher learning that serves overseas Chinese and preserves Chinese cultural traditions, and pursues the lofty responsibility of teaching Chinese as a foreign language and promoting Chinese culture.
In the 21st century, Jinan University has entered a new stage of development. It has been included in the "211 Project", established the College of Chinese Language and Literature, become a national university for new engineering research and practice projects, and established cooperative relations with internationally renowned enterprises. The continuous improvement of the quality of teaching has earned excellent evaluation, and its long historical tradition and positive spirit of innovation have made it even more influential on the global education stage.
Through a century of trials and hardships, Jinan University has become an educational highland with a high reputation not only in Chinese mainland, but also in the global Chinese community. Its complex and glorious past reflects the original intention of generations of Jinan University people to adhere to the ideal of education, serve the overseas Chinese community, and devote themselves to the dissemination of Chinese culture. Jinan University will continue to write its own historical chapter on the road of change.