社会学系

Tsinghua Xuetang was officially opened at Qing Hua Yuan (Tsinghua Garden) on the first day of the fourth lunar month in the third year during the reign of Emperor Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty (i.e., on April 29, 1911). There started the history of Tsinghua.

In November 1912, the school was renamed "Tsinghua School" in accordance with a general order on the interim measures for general education issued by the Ministry of Education.

In September 1925, the university section was founded, and enrolled 93 students for general studies under the new system. The school began to gradually transition from a preparatory school for students to study in the USA to a comprehensive university.

In 1926, the university section cancelled the general studies programme and launched four-year programmes. The Department of Sociology was among the 17 first departments set up at that time.

In 1926, the Department of Sociology was founded, and was headed by Chen Da, a professor of sociology at Tsinghua School. Before that, American teacher C. G. Ditimer had offered a course in sociology at Tsinghua School.

In August 1928, Tsinghua School was renamed "National Tsinghua University". The university established the principle of placing equal emphasis on sociology and anthropology, and changed the Department of Sociology into the Department of Social Anthropology. In 1930, the department began to recruit more professors, enroll more students, offer more courses, and divided the courses into those in theoretical sociology, applied sociology and anthropology by nature.

In 1932, it was renamed the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. In 1933, the Sociological Research Division was added.

In 1934, the department abolished the Sociological Research Division and reverted to the original name of the Department of Sociology, by which time the Department of Sociology was basically finalized at Tsinghua. At that time, professors with the Department of Sociology mainly included Chen Da, Wu Jingchao, Pan Guangdan and Li Jinghan, all of whom had studied in the USA after graduating from Tsinghua School or receiving subsidies from Tsinghua School.

Chen Da, who joined Tsinghua in 1923 with a PhD degree from Columbia University, had studied sociology with W. F. Ogban et al., and worked for the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Wu Jingchao, who joined Tsinghua in 1931 with a PhD degree from the University of Chicago, had engaged in research on urban life with Robert E. Park et al., and headed the Department of Sociology at the University of Nanking.

Pan Guangdan, who joined Tsinghua in 1934 with a PhD degree from Columbia University, had been enrolled in the eugenics programme at the university. He had been Provost of the Wusong National University of Political Science.

Li Jinghan, who joined Tsinghua in 1935 with a master's degree from the University of California, had been enrolled at Columbia University for graduate studies. He had been Director of the Social Survey Department of Ding County.

In 1936, six cohorts of 33 students for undergraduate studies and one student for postgraduate studies (Fei Hsiao-Tung) graduated from the Department of Sociology at Tsinghua.

The War against Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out on July 7, 1937, and Beiping fell on July 29. Tsinghua faculties and students then moved into the city. On September 12, the Japanese Military Police invaded the school.

On May 4, 1938, the Lin-shih-ta-hsueh moved to Kunming and was renamed the National South-West Associated University (NSAU).

In August 1938, the Institute for National Conditions Survey was established in Kunming. The institute was headed by Prof. Chen Da, with Prof. Li Jinghan acting as the director for survey and Dai Shiguang as the director for statistics, as well as 4-5 instructors including Su Rujiang.

In 1940, following the history of the faculty of arts at the Lin-shih-ta-hsueh in Changsha, the Department of Sociology was composed of divisions of history and sociology. The Department of Sociology was put under the School of Law and Business that year, and the faculties of the Department of Sociology at NSAU were all those of the Department of Sociology at Tsinghua University, including professors Chen Da, Pan Guangdan, Li Jinghan, Wu Zelin and Li Shuqing, and instructors Su Ruhong, etc. Chen Da was Dean of the Department of Sociology (from August 14, 1940 to August 12, 1943).

Pan Guangdan was appointed as the head of the Department of Sociology on August 12, 1943, and Wu Zelin was named the acting head on September 24, 1945. Fei Hsiao-Tung was appointed as a lecturer (on September 13, 1944), and Yuan Fang an assistant (in 1943).

In August 1945, China won the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. In May 1946, NSAU was put to an end. The faculties and students returned in batches to Tsinghua Garden from August to October. On October 10, 1946, Tsinghua University opened.

In October 1946, Tsinghua University resumed operations, and the Department of Sociology was put under the School of Law, which were headed by Pan Guangdan and Chen Daisun respectively.

In a nationwide restructuring of institutes of higher education in 1952, the Department of Sociology at Tsinghua University was taken out of the School of Law.

In 1999, Tsinghua University began preparations for the re-construction of the Department of Sociology.

In June 2000, the Department of Sociology re-opened at Tsinghua University and was put under the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Prof. Li Qiang was the head of the Department.