The moment you visit the website of CUG, the beautiful campusscenary would be the first thing to attract you. The Wuhan campus of CUG is at the foot of the green Nanwang Hill, and close to the shore of the beautiful East Lake. The Beijing campus on Xueyuan Road is also filled with energetic atmosphere. Vigor and energy, as well as the pursuit of truth and beautiful life, permeate both south and north campuses of the university.

　　As a country just entering the 21 century, China has stepped into a new and important stage for its own development. CUG has always been growing up together with the development of higher education after the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, thus, it is also at a very important stage of its own development.

　　Looking back to the past fifty years, CUG people have inherited the spirit of Beijing University, Qinghua University, Tianjin University and Tangshang Railway Institute，striving forward with a innovative mind and having fulfilled a regretless life dedicated to the economic construction, geological education and scientific development of our country. In this place, there are many academic masters and political figures who have been fostered, cultivated and educated by CUG during its past fifty years; in this place, there are a lot of great figures achieving outstanding contributions for the geological cause and the exploitation of minerals in our homeland; in this place, there are several generations of excellent mountaineering athletes devoted to our national career of mountaineering; and still in this place, more than 80,000 scientific talents have already been fostered for the development of our nation. This is really a cradle of miracles and wonders!

　　China University of Geosciences has experienced more than fifty years of hard work. All this has contributed to the shaping of the unique CUG spirit with particular glamour. In the coming fifty years, it will commit itself to the construction of a more profound academic atmosphere, an enthusiastic spirit of energy and vigor, and an even stronger will to strive forward.

　　Now, under the guidance of the principles proposed by the sixteenth congress of the Communist Party, people in CUG have carried on the strategy of “achieving goals step by step” in order to run the university as a modern, open and international university. The university has now primarily realized the change from a college with single discipline into a multi-disciplinary university, thus making a firm foundation for the further development of itself. Currently, we are making great efforts in building this university into an important base both for the cultivation of geoscientific talents, and for the scientific research and the development of new and high technology in our country.

　　In a new era, China University of Geosciences is confronted with unprecedented historical opportunities. Shortly before the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of CUG, our schoolfellow Premier Wen Jiabao came back to his Alma Mater to pay a visit to teachers and students. On that visit, he raised a requirement, that is, to build CUG into a “first-class university in the field of geosciences in the world”. All the teachers and students were greatly encouraged by his call, and have unanimously determined to undertake this responsibility and historical mission, and contribute to the great revitalization of our nation.

　　Looking to the future, we are filled with strong will and great vigor. We CUG people will strive forward dauntlessly with great confidence. We are determined to build our university into a national first-class university in China in the process of keeping up with the pace of international education in 2020. And in 2050, when CUG welcomes its one hundredth anniversary, it will step into a new stage of development, and become one of the “first-class universities in the field of geosciences in the world”.

Zhao Pengda
President of CUG

Zhang Jingao：President of CUG (WUHAN)

　 First of all, I would like to extend thankfulness on behalf of CUG to all the senior officials and people from all walks of life who have for a long time cared and supported the development of the university. I would also like to give sincere greetings to all the schoolfellows and express warm welcome to all the young friends who are willing to pursue studies in our university.

　　This is a university that has gone through great changes and difficulties. In 1952, Beijing College of Geology was founded by merging the departments and sections of geology of some famous colleges and universities， such as Beijing University, Qinghua University, Tianjin University, Tangshan Railway Institute, etc. Then, in 1970, the college was moved out of Beijing, trudging through difficulties: passing Shimen, crossing Dan River, going south to Jiangling, stopping off in Jingzhou. It was running the education of talents while selecting a proper place to settle down. At last, in 1975, the college settled in Wuhan and was renamed Wuhan College of Geology. From then on, the college started its reconstruction while maintaining its education. In 1987, China University of Geosciences was founded with two campuses in Beijing and Wuhan respectively, setting its headquarters in Wuhan.

　　This is a university with extremely profound foundations. At the beginning of its establishment, the different styles of Beijing University, Qinghua University, etc. intercrossed and permeated with each other; all the prominent teachers exchanged views and learned from each other for progress. There are successively over 60 academicians who have ever industriously carried out teaching in the university; even more middle-aged and young experts have started their careers here. The university became one of the key universities in 1960, and was authorized to set up Graduate School in 1986. In 1997, it entered the “211 Project” as one of the first group of universities to enter it in our country, thus becoming a key university being majorly constructed in China.

　　This is a university with splendid glories brought by outstanding figures. It has shaped its own traditions and demeanors of being self-supporting and realistic. Up to now, the university has cultivated over 80,000 graduates. They are engaged in their own fields and dedicated themselves to the development of the country. Many of them have become academic elites, political genius, business tycoons, and excellent athletes. Premier Wen Jiabao and 21 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Engineering are typical representatives among them.

　　This is also a university with great enthusiasm. It was born under a ministry-run system; then, in a new era with rapid development of higher education, the management of it was transferred to the Ministry of Education. This has provided new opportunities for the development of CUG. Now, the university is located on the shore of the beautiful East Lake, beside the National Development Zone of High and New Technologies and Wuhan Guanggu of China. The transportation is convenient, the environment is beautiful. On campus, you can behold the blue sky, limpid lake, green trees and fragrant grass. It makes an ideal place for students to pursue their studies.

　　Over more than fifty years, people of CUG have been forging ahead, keeping pace with the times, and carrying out innovations. They have caught hold of the opportunities brought about by the reforms, and achieved rapid progress with their intelligence and efforts. Today, CUG has changed from just a geological college with single discipline to a comprehensive university offering multi-disciplines with geology, resources, environment, and geological engineering technology as the main features and the coordinate development of sciences, engineering, liberal arts, management, economics and law.

　　Presently, the university has raised the goal of constructing itself into an internationally first-class university in the field of Earth sciences. In order to achieve the goal, we will inherit and carry forward the excellent traditions of CUG, regard people as the resource, discipline construction as the guide, improvement of teaching strength as the core, and talent cultivation as the lifeline; intensify the conception of competition, quality and services, carry out reforms while remaining innovative, and try to achieve outstanding credits in order to meet the demands of both the history and the times.

　　I strongly believe that you will continuously remain concerned for the university which is at the foot of Nanwang Hill and on the shore of East Lake!

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Zhang Jingao
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　President of CUG(wuhan)