Yanshan University (YSU) is a provincially run university in Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China. It began life as the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) in 1920, which was moved to the industrial town of Fulaerji, Qiqihar in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province and then renamed the School of Heavy Machinery of HIT.
It gained independence as the Northeast Heavy Machinery Institute and moved southward to the historic resort city of Qinhuangdao in 1985. It was accredited by the former State Education Commission in 1997 and adopted the name Yanshan University.
The university’s campus covers 330 hectares and has a student population of 37,000, with a faculty and staff team of 2,700.
YSU consists of 18 schools and one independent department: school of mechanical engineering; school of material science and engineering; school of electrical and electronic engineering; school of information technology and engineering; school of economics and management; school of civil engineering and mechanics; school of sciences; school of humanities and law; school of foreign languages; school of environmental and chemical engineering; school of fine arts; school of automotive and energy engineering; school of postgraduate studies; school of international exchange; Li Ren School; school of vocational training; school of continuous education; the school of defense technology; and department of physical education.
Qinhuangdao City, where Yanshan University is based, is a coastal resort city 260 km northeast of Beijing. It is one of China’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting visitors from China and across the world. Highlights include the beginning of the Great Wall (or Lao Longtou), the First Pass Under Heaven (the Shanhai Guan) on the Great Wall, the summer resort Beidaihe Beach, the sandy Golden Beach at the Nandaihe area, the safari zoo, and many other scenic spots which are easy to access.