Introduction of Heilongjiang August First Land Reclamation University (HLAU)

Heilongjiang August First Land Reclamation University (HLAU) was first established in 1958, founded by General Wang Zhen, the former vice president of China, who was also the minister of the Land Reclamation Department and served as the first president of the university.

HLAU was located in a remote and rural town of Peide, near Mishan city in Heilongjiang province, which has 45 years of developmental history. With the provincial government’s approval in October 2003, HLAU as a whole, moved to a new high technology industrial development zone in Daqing city. The strategic relocation of the university has achieved the fundamental elimination of the geographical disadvantages which has inhibited it since the initial development.

HLAU occupies 1.135 million square meters with 447,500 square meters of total campus construction area. There are 19 faculties, 1 department, 1 teaching center,43 undergraduates programs, 22 masters programs, 2 doctoral directions, and 2 specialized masters programs of agricultural extensions in HLAU. Included in its faculties is the post-doctorate scientific research workstation of Great Northern Wilderness Agriculture and Reclamation Group Company.

HLAU also has 3 provincial level key disciplines, 4 provincial level key undergraduate programs, a provincial level key laboratory and 8 laboratories (centers) of Ministry of Agriculture. Currently, HLAU has the total enrollment of 15,000 students including 469 master graduate students. There are 793 faculty members, including 87 professors and 226 associate professors. Among the total members of the teaching staff, 60 teachers hold doctorate degrees, 395 teachers hold masters’ degrees.

Since 1958, HLAU has trained 20 thousand students for the country, including undergraduates, specialty students and postgraduates. Many of them have become the backbones in all aspects, both in and outside of the Heilongjiang reclamation area and the province.

HLAU adheres to the guiding principles of running an “open” school. Within these 48-years, the university has established the stable exchange and cooperation relationship with many overseas universities and research institutes from Canada, Russia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, etc. In 2001, HLAU started its China-Russia Cooperative Training Project with Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service.

After 48 years of development and construction, HLAU has developed into a large multi-disciplinary agricultural university with Agriculture as its core, covering agriculture, engineering, science, management, economics, arts and laws.

Today, all the faculties, students and staff of HLAU, with full confidence and dedication, are making concerted efforts to advance bravely towards the goal of building HLAU into a well-known agricultural university in our country.