A century of University

In the early 20th century, universities founded by religious groups began to emerge in Yangpu. The Jiangwan area, situated between Wusong and downtown Shanghai, offered affordable land and a tranquil setting, making it an ideal choice for educational institutions. After Fudan University moved into Yangpu in 1922, other institutions like Tongji University, Shanghai Fisheries School, China Public Institute and Lida College also chose this location for their campuses. Following the establishment of the Shanghai Special Municipal Government in 1927, the Jiangwan area was designated as the city center for the "Greater Shanghai Plan", further promoting the establishment of higher education institutions in eastern Shanghai. This led to the completion of National Shanghai College of Commerce completed in 1931, Shanghai Music School in 1935 and Shanghai Sports School in 1936. By the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan in 1937, there had been 12 higher education institutions in eastern Shanghai, nearly half of the city's total at that time. During the national departmental restructuring in 1952, 15 new higher education institutions were established through retaining existing schools, establishing new ones, merging, relocating and suspending. Apart from Hujiang University, the original layout of higher education institutions in eastern Shanghai was largely maintained. To cultivate talents for the construction of new China, Shanghai Mechanical College (now University of Shanghai for Science and Technology) was founded on the former site of Hujiang University in 1952, and a number of applied schools were successively established, including Shanghai College of Electric Power (1951), Shanghai Publishing and Printing College (1953) and Shanghai Urban Construction College (1978). After the reform and opening up, the educational sector further flourished, and by the 1990s, there had been 15 full-time higher education institutions in Yangpu. After the National Science Conference in 1995, the state launched Project 211, focusing on the development of 100 universities. Fudan University, Tongji University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and the Second Military Medical University (now Naval Medical University) successfully were included in this project, leading to an expansion in university size, key discipline development and student enrollment. In the 21st century, the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai Municipal Government People's made a major strategic decision to build Yangpu Knowledge Innovation Zone. Yangpu proposed the philosophy that "serving universities is serving Yangpu, and developing universities is developing Yangpu", expressing its willingness to free up the best land in support of university development nearby, to cede prime commercial and real estate projects for the construction of university science parks; and to invest in improving and beautifying university surroundings. It has deepened the interaction among universities, science parks and public communities, and promoted the integration of the university town, the industrial town and the innovative town. The concentration of knowledge and talents in universities has become a vital support and driving force for Yangpu's development.