A PROFILE OF SHIYAN COLLEGE

OF PROFESSIONAL TECHNOLOGY

    Shiyan College of Professional Technology is one of the full-time general higher learning institutions that covers multiple branches of learning, including technology, human studies, management, economics, etc. with industrial technology as the dominent branch. Shiyan College of Professional Technology grew out of the Shiyan Teachers’ Training Classes of Higher Learning which was founded in 1976 and ShiyanVocationalUniversity founded in 1983. In 1984 the above two institutions were merged into one establishment named ShiyanUniversity. Again in the year of 1988, with the approval of the former State Education Commission, the former ShiyanUniversity was renamed as Shiyan College of Professional Technology. Shiyan College of Professional Technology is one of the first group of colleges of professional technology that was approved by Hubei Provincial Government and the Ministry of Education. The college is situated ShiyanCity proper, HubeiProvince nearby Mt.Wudang and the HanjiangRiver.

    Shiyan is a well-known motor city. Here you may visit the auto production plants of Dongfeng Auto Corporation, one of the gigantic state-owned enterprises and one of the three largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles in the world. With more than 400 industrial enterprises producing motor parts and components and many other hi-tech industries and institutions, Shiyan has a given name “the Oriental Detroit”.

    Shiyan is a famous city of culture and tourism. The area around was one of the impotant birthplaces of Chinese Han nationality and China’s ancient culture. Within the City of Shiyan,you may enjoy picturesque scenery: green hills and clear waters, ancient temples and historical relics. The natural landscapes and cultural attractions enchance each other’s beauty. The two most tourist attractions nearby or in Shiyan are the mystery ancient forest Shennongjia and Mt.Wudang, a sacred place of Taoism.

    Shiyan is located at a place nearby the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the largest man-made lake in Asia and now is the source of water of the middle route of the south-to-north water diversion project. From here clear water will flow to Beijing , the capital of China.

    Shiyan is on the vital communication line from East China to the Northwest. From ancient times, a saying has been spreading far and wide like this: “Boats from the south and horses from the north, a strategic passage linking Sichuang and Shaanxi, and a vital thoroughfare to four provinces”.The railway that runs across ShiyanCity is a main communication artery connecting Central China and the Southwest; the Xi’an-Ankang railway going through Shiyan is the most convenient road from Central China to Xi’an. At present the Yinchuan –Shanghai expressway and the multiple track of Xiangfan-Chongqing railway are under construction, which will facilitate the transportation in Shiyan and the city will become an important hub of communication in Central China.   

    Shiyan College of Professional Technology, richly endowed by nature, has exceptional advantages of supplying higher education. Dongfeng Auto Corporation and many other local motor industrial enterprises may serve as fields of practice for the students of the college. There are 35 specialties offered in the college at present. The specialty of Artistic Design is one of the key specialties in HubeiProvince and it is also a pilot specialty in the education reform drive in China. Additionally, the specialties of Motor Application Technology and Environmental Monitoring and Control are pilot specialties in HubeiProvince. The college has a total enrolment of 6000 and the number of college faculty and other staff in-service is up to 367. There are 106 members of the faculty who have professional titles of professor, associate professor and other senior titles of technical or professional posts. Among the faculty a number of experts are granted the honorable subsidy from the provincial or municipal government; a number of middle-aged and young experts and pioneers of some branches of learning have received award of outstanding academic achievements bestowed by the provincial or municipal government. The college also engages teachers every year from English-speaking countries to act as English teachers in the college.

    Besides the existing campus, the college has a new campus which is now under full construction and the main projects of construction will have been completed by the end of 2007 and then the new campus will be put into use. The two campuses cover an area of 533,600m2. The total value of the existing teaching facilities and equipment the college possesses is about RMB$ 20million. There are more than 1000 sets of various types of computers and 400,000 books and reference materials in the college. Additionally, there are 70 workplaces designated within or outside the college where programs of practical training or field work were conducted by students who are from different branches of learning, such as mechanics, electronics, chemistry, human studies, art, ect. The establishment of practical training field for students of Motor Maintenance Technology has been listed as one of the state key projects of vocational education sponsored by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education. In the past several years, the rate of employment of graduates from the college has been among the best of the same type of colleges in Hubei Province.

    During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, ShiyanCollege of Professional Technology will go on adhering to the following guiding ideaology:
    Seeking market-oriented development; relying on the cooperation with local motor industry; making advance with competitive specialties as the locomotive; taking vocational skills training as the dominant task; and keeping bringing up senior-skilled technicians as the final target of higher education.

    In short, we shall quicken the pace in upgrading teaching facilities and improving management and quality of education. We shall energetically accelerate the process of building an exemplary higher learning vocational college and a demonstrative college in terms of running school by law. The ultimate aim of our work is to build a modern college of professional technology to people’s satisfaction.