Introducing Universities and Disciplines

General Secretary Xi Jinping stated that the success of higher education bears on the development of our country and the future of our nation. Higher education is an important symbol of the composite national strength and development potential of a country. The Party Central Committee and the State Council want to develop world-class universities and disciplines, aiming to improve the overall level of higher education in China, enhance the core competitiveness of the country, and provide intellectual support to the realization of the Two Centenary Goals1and the Chinese Dream of National Rejuvenation. The launching of Universities and Disciplines is timely and significant for achieving these purposes.

As a journal under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Universities and Disciplines must always adhere to the leadership of the Party, stay socialist and maintain the right tone in public communication. I hope that the journal will be committed to remaining academic, international, policy-oriented and practice-based. Based on Chinese practice, the journal should adhere to the global vision and devote itself to researching major educational theories and practices. In this way, it should publish more theoretical and practical achievements made in accordance with the development law, governance system and development trend of universities and disciplines with Chinese characteristics, and strive to build a policy-led window, an academic thought high ground and an experience exchange platform for university development and discipline construction. Making Universities and Disciplines a high-level journal rooted in Chinese land is an important step to form an academic system and discourse system with salient Chinese characteristics and style. It is also an important embodiment of our higher education's confidence in China's path, theories, system, and culture in the new era.

Publications are to carry articles that explain principles. There is no exception with Universities and Disciplines. The journal has been launched to bring together the wisdom of the academic community, publish excellent academic works, disseminate advanced ideas, promote academic exchanges, encourage interdisciplinary innovation, and accelerate research on university development and discipline construction with Chinese characteristics. This will help systematically review the reform, development and innovation experiences of universities and disciplines over the past seven decades. It will facilitate China's initiatives to construct a theoretical system of university development and discipline construction with Chinese characteristics and gradually form a research paradigm of university development and discipline construction with Chinese characteristics. This will help reinvigorate China through higher education development. By so doing, China will contribute its approach and wisdom to higher education in other parts of the world.

The active support and joint participation of the managers of higher education, teachers and students of universities, as well as people from all walks of life who are concerned about university development and discipline construction in China are indispensable for the success of Universities and Disciplines. I sincerely hope that Universities and Disciplines will become an important theoretical garden for university and discipline builders and researchers, a good teacher and friend for the Party and government staff, and a bridge for friendly exchanges between academics in China and beyond, and add glory to the cause of higher education with Chinese characteristics.

Chen Baosheng

Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Minister of the Ministry of Education

June 2020

1 They are to complete a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the Communist Party of China marks its centenary in 2021 and to build China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the time the People's Republic of China celebrates its centenary in 2049.