Zhengzhou University of Light Industry

Zhengzhou University of Light Industry (ZZULI) established in 1977 was originally affiliated to the Ministry of Light Industry of China, and then to the People’s Government of Henan Province since 1998. It is jointly built by the People’s Government of Henan Province and the State Tobacco Monopoly Bureau as a featured key university in Henan Province. At present, ZZULI has Kexue Campus, Dongfeng Campus and Yuzhou Practice and Training Base, with a floor area of over 2,200 mu. The University now has more than 30,000 full-time undergraduate and graduate students, over 2.38 million Chinese and foreign paper books and more than 8.6 million e-books. ZZULI has been known as a model university of smart campus in Henan Province.

Since its establishment, ZZULI has been acting on the university motto of “nothing is too difficult for the willing mind” in the socialist direction of education. In the spirit of being “plain, pragmatic, and prudent”, the University gives full play to its strength in the Central Plains to contribute positively to the high-quality development of the industry, as well as the local and national economy and society.

Continuous advance in strengthening the university through talent cultivation. ZZULI has more than 2,200 faculty members, among whom nearly 800 teachers have senior titles or above and more than 900 teachers have doctorates. There are two full-time professors from the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Academia Europaea, five double-appointed academicians. More than 300 talents at ministerial and provincial-level, including Changjiang (Yangtze River) Scholar as the distinguished professor, National Outstanding Professional and Technical Talents, winners of National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, the recipient of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation the Science and Technology Innovation Award, personnel selected for the National Hundred and Thousand and Ten-Thousand Talent Project, leading talents from national broadcasting and Internet audiovisual industry, Central Plains Scholars, so on and so forth. Besides, the University has 27 high-level teams that consist of national scientific and technological innovation teams, provincial teaching teams, and provincial scientific and technological innovation teams.

Increasing highlight of discipline and specialty characteristics. ZZULI has 10 joint PhD programs offered together with well-known universities at home and abroad and owns first-level disciplines authorized to offer doctorate degrees in Food Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering and Technology, 15 first-level disciplines authorized to offer master degrees, and 15 specialties authorized to offer master degrees, as well as 71 undergraduate programs, covering nine disciplines, i.e., engineering, science, literature, arts, economics, management, law, teaching and agriculture. The University has developed its characteristic predominant discipline groups such as Food Science and Engineering featuring agricultural product processing and food safety, Electrical Engineering that is characterized by intelligent manufacturing of electrical equipment, and Chemical Engineering and Technology which features fine chemicals manufacturing and chemical power design. Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, and agricultural science are now among the top 1% of ESI global ranking. In addition, ZZULI has two featured key discipline groups of Henan Province, and 18 provincial key disciplines, Currently, ZZULI offers 25 national first-class undergraduate specialties, ranking fourth among universities in Henan Province. It offers 17 provincial first-class undergraduate specialties, five national featured specialties and comprehensive reform pilot specialties, six pilot specialties of “Plan for Educating and Training Outstanding Engineers” issued by the Ministry of Education, and 11 specialties that have passed the professional certification in engineering education.

Overall improvement in the quality of talents. ZZULI has developed a complete talent cultivation system of students for bachelor’s, master’s and doctor’s degrees. The University’s students have put in excellent performances time and again in national innovation and entrepreneurship competitions such as “Internet+”, “Challenge Cup” and “Youth Creation”. The University is ranked 70th in the National Academic Discipline Competition List in 2021. Since its establishment, the University has provided more than 150,000 excellent graduates to the country, and many titles have been awarded on it, including the “National University with Typical Experience in the Employment of Graduates”, “The Excellent Unit for Employment of Graduates from Regular Institutions of Higher Learning in Henan Province”, and “The Most Competitive Model University for Employment in Henan Province”. ZZULI is hailed as “the Cradle of Talent Training in China’s Battery Industry” and “the Whampoa Military Academy of the Tobacco Industry”.

Significant achievements in scientific and technological innovations. ZZULI boasts 53 scientific and ministerial scientific research platforms, which provide important support for high-level scientific research and talent cultivation. In recent years, the University has undertaken more than 3,500 longitudinal and transverse scientific research projects including those of the National Science & Technology Pillar Program, National Key Research and Development Program, and programs supported by National Natural Science Foundation and National Social Science Foundation of China. It obtained six national science and technology prizes and more than 130 ministerial and provincial prizes. In the past three years, ZZULI has won a great number of awards for its scientific and technological progress, which ranked second among universities in Henan Province. It has been one of China’s top 100 universities for the contract amount of commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

Increasing social service capability. In the field of Food Science and Engineering, breakthroughs have been made in the technological bottlenecks in quick freezing, meat, fruit and vegetable industries, boosting Henan to transform from the “Granary in the Central Plains” into the “National Kitchen” and the “Source of Worldwide Catering”; and breakthroughs in the key preparation technology of tobacco flavors facilitate high-quality development of the tobacco industry. In the field of Intelligent Manufacturing of Electrical Equipment, ZZULI has overcome the technical problems of multi-motor electrical system cooperative control, and made positive contributions to the building of “The Pillars of a Great Power”; breakthroughs were made in the technical bottleneck in the molding process of key basic parts of large equipment, and the results have been applied to major engineering construction at home and abroad; it has solved major technical problems in the integration of high-efficiency vehicle power system, and the results have been applied to the world’s largest bus enterprises and new energy commercial vehicle enterprises. The University has achieved breakthroughs in key technologies for the manufacturing of a series of fine chemicals and the development of new energy materials in the material science and engineering field, and the results have been applied to well-known enterprises in related fields in China; new wear-resistant alloys have been developed, and applied as key wear-resistant components to the “National New Heavy Machinery Project, engines and rail transit, etc.

Extensive international cooperation and exchanges. ZZULI has established extensive cooperation with more than 100 colleges and universities in over 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, and Korea. The University has set up a special award fund for the international exchange of students. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, together with world-famous universities such as the University of California, Riverside, Virginia Tech, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Griffith University, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. It has built nine international joint laboratories with well-known foreign universities. With the earliest IELTS examination center in Henan Province, the University was praised as “one of the best examination centers in China” by the British Embassy in China. It has been awarded the title of “Top Ten Famous Sino-foreign Cooperative Institutions of the Year” in China.

The river is wide at full tide; a strong wind sends the sail surging forward. At a new historical starting point and under the leadership of Xi Jinping’s thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, ZZULI keeps in mind the original mission of cultivating talents for the Party and the country and adheres to the “four orientations” (i.e.,targeting the global sci-tech frontiers, serving the main economic battlefields, striving to fulfill the significant needs of the country, and benefiting people’s lives and health). It will give full play to the functions of talent training, scientific research, social service, cultural heritage and innovation, and international exchange and cooperation to build a high-level light industrial university and write a more gorgeous new chapter!

Founded in 1977, the University was not only one of the eight undergraduate colleges under the former Ministry of Light Industry of China, but also the only subordinate light industry undergraduate college in five central and southern provinces at that time. Under the leadership of China’s great reform and opening-up, the construction of University is booming. Over the past 40 years, the University has developed 71 undergraduate specialties, 15 first-level disciplines authorized to offer master degree and 15 specialties authorized to offer master degree,  two first-level disciplines authorized to offer doctoral degree, which are “Food Science and Engineering” and “Chemical Engineering and Technology”, and 10 joint PhD programs offered together with well-known universities at home and abroad. It has developed into a characteristic core university in Henan Province, featuring multi-disciplinary coordinated development and integrated training of students at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, literature, art, economy, management, law, education and agriculture. The University has built a discipline and specialty system, which is represented by three disciplines among the top 1% of ESI global ranking and two key discipline groups of Henan Province, and supported by 18 provincial key disciplines, 25 national first-class undergraduate specialties, ranking fourth among universities in Henan Province. It offers 17 provincial first-class undergraduate specialties, five national featured specialties and comprehensive reform pilot specialties, six pilot specialties of “Plan for Educating and Training Outstanding Engineers” issued by the Ministry of Education, and 11 specialties that have passed the professional certification in engineering education, making important contributions to the regional economy of Henan and the development of light industry in China.

As Heaven keeps vigorous through movement, a gentleman should unremittingly practice self-improvement. Since its establishment more than 40 years ago, the University has built a team of high-level personnel represented by two full-time professors from the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Academia Europaea, five Double Employed Academicians, 21 national leading personnel made up of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Scholar as the distinguished professor, National Outstanding Professional and Technical Talents, winners of National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, the recipient of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation the Science and Technology Innovation Award, and personnel selected for the National Hundred and Thousand and Ten-Thousand Talent Project as well as leading talents from national broadcasting and Internet audiovisual industry; and two Central Plains Scholars. Besides, the University boasts two national scientific and technological innovation teams, 10 provincial teaching teams, and 15 provincial scientific and technological innovation teams.

ZZULI has been adhering to the core mission of talent training. It has cultivated a total of nearly 150,000 graduates for the society, with the employment rate of graduates ranking among the top in Henan Province. The University has been successively awarded honorary titles such as “National University with Typical Experience in Graduate Employment”, “Outstanding Unit for Graduate Employment among Colleges and Universities in Henan Province” and “Model University with Employment Competitiveness in Henan Province”. A large number of middle and senior management personnel as well as technical leaders in food industry, tobacco industry, household appliance industry, battery industry and industrial design industry are graduates from the university.

With the hard work spirit of all previous teachers and students, the University has created today’s prosperity, condensed the motto of “nothing is too difficult for the willing mind”, and developed the school spirit of “being plain, pragmatic and solid”. At present, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry has become an important talent training base in Henan Province, a new place for regional technological innovation, an important think tank for urban construction and development, and an important stage for international exchanges and cooperation.

In spite of changes of environment and times over the past 40 years, the inheritance, original aspiration and mission of the University have remained unchanged! This spiritual tradition is not only the fundamental reason for the sustainable development of the University, but also a powerful impetus for the University to forge ahead.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, under the guidance of the spirit of “providing satisfying education for the people”, the University will focus on the main line of “building a characteristic core university”, and spare no effort to improve the five capabilities of “talent cultivation, scientific research, social service, cultural inheritance and innovation, international cooperation and exchange”, so as to realize the goal that the main school-running indexes and comprehensive strength are in the forefront of the characteristic core universities in Henan Province, and become an internationally recognized and unique high-level university of light industry, and make greater contributions to the modernization of Henan and China.