Hangzhou Government Scholarship

About the university

Hangzhou Normal University (HZNU), located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is a provincial general institution of higher learning approved by the Ministry of Education and administered by the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government. It is a key construction university in Zhejiang Province, a key support university in Hangzhou, a university implementing the Excellent Teacher Training Program, a degree-granting institution for doctoral degrees, a council member of the UNESCO China Entrepreneurship Education Alliance, one of the first batch of national-level universities for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students, and one of the first batch of national demonstration universities for deepening innovation and entrepreneurship education reform. The predecessor of Hangzhou Normal University can be traced back to the Zhejiang Government Two-Level Normal School founded in 1908. It was successively renamed as Zhejiang Provincial Two-Level Normal School, Zhejiang Provincial First Normal School, Zhejiang Provincial Hangzhou Normal School, and Zhejiang Hangzhou Normal School. In December 1978, Hangzhou Normal College was established on the basis of Hangzhou Normal School. From 1999 to 2001, the former Hangzhou Education College, Hangzhou Normal School, Hangzhou Arts and Crafts School, Hangzhou Law School, and Hangzhou Medical College were successively merged into the college. In March 2007, it was renamed Hangzhou Normal University. As of January 2026, Hangzhou Normal University has three campuses: Cangqian, Yuhuangshan, and Xiasha, covering an area of 2.29 million square meters. It comprises 24 colleges, 2 directly affiliated hospitals, and 2 directly affiliated schools. It has 6 first-level doctoral degree authorization points, 1 professional doctoral degree authorization point, 25 first-level master's degree authorization points, and 26 professional master's degree authorization points. The university has 4,551 faculty and staff members, including 2,183 full-time teachers (80.21% with doctoral degrees). There are 32,491 full-time students, including 6,205 full-time graduate students and 626 international students pursuing degrees. The university offers 81 undergraduate programs. In 1905, Zhejiang Governor Zhang Zengyang petitioned to establish the All-Zhejiang Normal School on the site of the provincial examination hall. The petition was approved in 1906, and the school was named Zhejiang Government Two-Level Normal School. In 1908, the school was completed on the former site of the Zhejiang Examination Hall, becoming the only specially built and largest new-style higher education institution in Zhejiang at that time. In January 1912, the Provisional Government of the Republic of China was established. In April of the same year, Zhejiang Government Two-Level Normal School was renamed Zhejiang Provincial Two-Level Normal School. In 1913, it was renamed Zhejiang Provincial First Normal School (abbreviated as "First Normal School"). Under the impetus of the May Fourth New Culture Movement, Principal Jing Hengyi proposed the educational philosophy of "keeping pace with the times" and the educational policy of "simultaneous development of morality, intelligence, physical education, aesthetics, and group education." The school became the cradle of the New Culture Movement in Zhejiang, the earliest main base for spreading democratic and scientific ideas, and one of the early birthplaces of the Chinese Communist Party's activities. In 1923, according to the new regulations of the Zhejiang Provincial Government on school restructuring, the "middle school and normal school merger system" was implemented. Zhejiang Provincial First Normal School merged with Zhejiang Provincial First Middle School, and the new school was named "Zhejiang Provincial First Middle School." In June 1931, the Zhejiang Provincial Government decided to establish an independent "Zhejiang Provincial Hangzhou Normal School," selecting the old Hangzhou Prefecture Confucian Temple (located on present-day Nanshan Road) as the new campus. The normal department of Zhejiang Provincial Senior High School (formerly Zhejiang Provincial First Normal School) and its teachers and students were fully integrated. After the full outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan in 1937, the school withdrew to Jiande in November of the same year, temporarily using Yanzhou Middle School for classes. In July 1938, the school moved to Bihu, Lishui. Following the instructions of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education, the school, together with seven other schools including Zhejiang Provincial Hangzhou Senior High School, formed the "Zhejiang Provincial Temporary United Middle School" (abbreviated as "United Middle School"). In July 1939, the normal department of the United Middle School was renamed "Zhejiang Provincial Temporary United Normal School" (abbreviated as "United Normal School").