One of the oldest and most important universities in China.
It was founded as Capital College in 1898 and became a university in 1911. By 1920 it had become a centre for progressive thought. During the Japanese invasion of China (193745) it was temporarily relocated to Yunnan province. The first disturbances of the Cultural Revolution began at Beijing University in 1966; education there ceased between 1966 and 1970. The university has since reasserted its position as China's foremost nontechnical university. It has about 25 academic departments and several research institutes and has the largest university library in China.