Founded in 1926, by famous philosophers like Jin Yuelin, Feng Youlan, and so on, the Department of Philosophy at Tsinghua University is one of the earliest philosophy departments in Chinese universities, and has been regarded as one main force of the Tsinghua School. Many distinguished scholars, such as Jin Yuelin, Feng Youlan, Zhang Shenfu, Deng Yizhe, Shen Youding, Lin Zaiping, He Lin, Pan Huaisu, Zhang Dainian, Ren Hua, Zhou Fucheng, etc., have taught in the Department. In 1952, the humanities programs at the university were removed in the nationwide restructuring of institutions of higher education in China, with its faculty dispersed into the Department of Philosophy at Peking University and the Institute of Philosophy of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The Department of Philosophy was restored in May, 2000, when the university was engaged in its striving for a world-class research university status with a comprehensive and open curriculum.

　　During the Tenth Five-year Plan period, working closely with other philosophy research units at the university, the Department has expanded its concentrations which span Marxist Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, Western Philosophy, Ethics, Logic, Religious Studies, Aesthetics, and so on. A Ph.D. program (in Ethics) and five M.A. programs (in Marxist Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, Western Philosophy, Ethics and Logic) were established. Besides, the Department has a joint postdoctoral program with the Institute of Science, Technology and Society. The Department began to have undergraduate students in 2003. The Ethics major ranked the 3rd in the nationwide evaluation of the similar programs in the country. In 2004, the Department, joined by the Departments of Chinese Language & Literature, History, and Foreign Languages, succeeded in its application for a research project titled “The National Innovative Research Base for Chinese Civilization & Literature,” which is an important part of The 2nd Phase of 985 Project. In 2005, during the tenth national evaluation to increase degree-granting programs, the department’s application for the rank of the first-level philosophy department with a Ph.D. program went through peer evaluation through correspondence, evaluation by specialists from sister institutions, and evaluation by the Academic Degree Committee of the university, and consequently, the Department was awarded the right to confer the Ph.D. degree in philosophy in the capacity of the first-level philosophy department.

　　Shortly after its restoration, the Department embarked on the “3 plus 1 Academic Project” (“The Series of Tsinghua Philosophical Studies”, “Tsinghua Philosophy Textbooks Series”, “Tsinghua Philosophy Translation Series” and Tsinghua Philosophy Annals), and at the same time, gave priority to the research in Applied Ethics and Western Classical Philosophy, which has so far turned out excellent results. At present, the Department undertakes 12 projects funded by the National Funds of Philosophy and Social Sciences (including 2 key projects), 3 projects by the National Funds of Science, 14 projects at the level of ministries and the municipal government, 12 projects at the level of universities and 18 projects at the level of the school. The Department now has a research fund of 4 million in RMB.

　　After years of recruitment and internal adjustment, the Department at present has 20 faculty members (including 1 international employee), among whom 13 are full professors (including 9 doctoral advisors), 7 are associate professors and 2 are instructors. Seventy percent of the teaching staff holds a Ph.D. degree, and they are in the field of Ethics, Western Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, Marxist Philosophy, Logic, Religious Studies and Aesthetics. The Department will continue to strengthen its Ph.D. program in the 2nd phase of 985 Project

　　Currently, the faculty members are in their prime time, brisk and enthusiastic, forming a great research and teaching team. They have an extensive international experience: many of them have been visiting scholars to sister universities in other countries, and some of them received their Ph.D. from internationally-renowned universities. The research projects the faculty is doing, many of which are top-notch projects in the country, outnumber any philosophy departments in Chinese universities. The research projects completed in the Department have high quality and have produced a wide influence both at home and abroad.

　　Both old and young, the Department of Philosophy at Tsinghua is striding forward with a new bearing on the broadway of Chinese and Western Philosophy, and the Department welcomes our prospective students to join us.

　　Currently, Professor Wan Junren is chair of the Department, Professors Xiao Ying and Associate Professor Han Lixin are vice chairs.

　　Address:
　　Department of Philosophy
　　School of Humanities & Social Sciences
　　Tsinghua University
　　Beijing, P. R. China
　　Postal code: 100084
　　Tel: 86-10-6278 2777
　　Fax: 86-10-6278 2777
　　E-mail: zhe@tsinghua.edu.cn