Tianjin University History Museum

Tianjin University History Museum

The Tianjin University History Museum is a patriotic education base.

The predecessor of Tianjin University was Peiyang University, founded in 1895 as China’s first modern university. To understand history, preserve cultural heritage, inspire future generations, Tianjin University established the “Tianjin University Historical Archives Exhibition Hall” in 2001, which was expanded and renovated into the “Tianjin University History Museum” in 2010. The museum leverages historical archives to promote patriotic education, enhance the positive energy of school history culture, and educate young students. In 2006, it was designated as a Tianjin Municipal Patriotic Education Base by the municipal Party committee and government.

The museum is located on Mingde Road within the campus, with a total building area of 2,000 square meters. The exhibition follows a historical timeline and thematic organization, systematically narrating the school’s founding, development, and progress to the present day. It employs precious historical photographs, detailed charts, archival materials and artifacts, artworks, reconstructed scenes, and other methods to showcase the school’s founding and growth, its spiritual and cultural traditions, and its contributions to the nation and society. It serves as a microcosm of the development of modern higher education in China and as a vivid educational resource to inspire and motivate the younger generation. The History Museum exhibition is divided into 10 sections, displaying over a thousand precious historical photos spanning more than 110 years of the school’s history, along with more than 200 items including archival materials, artifacts, oil paintings, and models. Among the exhibits are the imperial edict memorial for the establishment of China’s first university — Peiyang University, China’s first university charter — the “Peiyang University First-Class College Charter,” China’s first university diploma awarded to Wang Chonghui, a leading figure in modern Chinese legal and political circles, known as the “Imperial No. 1 Certificate,” as well as rare visual materials of Peiyang University faculty and students participating in the May Fourth Movement.

Since its opening, the museum has attracted a continuous stream of visitors, having received over 100,000 visiting groups to date, including officials at all levels, domestic and international universities and academic groups, enterprises and institutions, alumni from home and abroad, current students and faculty, and primary and secondary school students. With its profound historical and cultural significance, rich exhibits, and high-quality services, the museum has earned widespread acclaim from visitors both in China and abroad.

Address of Tianjin University History Museum: No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin University, First Teaching Building on Mingde Road. Free admission is available from 14:30 to 17:00 every last Friday afternoon of the month (excluding winter and summer vacations). Contact number: 27402305.