Pioneering University

As one of the earliest windows of China’s reform and opening-up policy, Shenzhen in southern China’s Guangdong Province has been in the fast lane of development and innovation. Since its inception six years ago, the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUST) has channeled the city’s pioneering spirit to become a trademark in China’s higher education for both development speed and quality, aiming to be a world-class university in interdisciplinary research, innovative talent training and a center to deliver new knowledge to the world. Alongside the globalization of education and China’s new era for quality development, SUST provides a unique platform to experiment with Chinese higher education reform, and it’s worth an in-depth look. NewsChina reporters secured exclusive interviews with the university’s Party chief and president to give an inside account of its mission, role in the city and the challenges it faces.