This Day, That Year

Editor’s note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy.

On Nov 26, 1981, the State Council, China’s Cabinet, approved the list of the country’s first batch of universities offering master’s and doctoral programs.

In 1993, the central authorities issued guidelines for the development and reform of the country’s education sector, outlining a strategy for further reform of the higher education system. It identified higher education as being linked to China’s competitive position in the world.

Since then, China has been investing heavily in the higher education system, and more people than ever before are completing doctoral degrees.

An item from Oct 27, 1994, in China Daily showed a woman sharing her joy at receiving her PhD certificate from Peking University with her husband and daughter.

Now the country is the top annual producer of PhDs worldwide, having surpassed the United States in 2008.

In 1983, only 18 Chinese students got doctoral degrees nationwide after postgraduate programs resumed in 1978. In recent decades, the number has seen exceptional growth. Since 2014, there have been about 55,000 doctoral graduates every year, according to the Ministry of Education.

To better cultivate highlevel talent in advanced technology, Westlake University, China’s first private university, was established in Zhejiang province last month. It marked a significant step in efforts to reform the higher-education sector and foster innovation.

The university aims to rival its international counterparts, such as Rockefeller University and the California Institute of Technology.

The first 19 PhD candidates were enrolled in September, and it plans to recruit 130 more this year.