Chang’an University was merged by the former Xi’an Highway University, Xi’an Engineering Institute, Northwest Institute of Construction Engineering on April 18th, 2000. Thus, the course of development of Chang’an University reflects the history and development of its three predecessors.

In 1951, shortly after the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, so many things were awaited to be undertaken. A number of pioneers of the New China, with the ideal of “no obstruction of traffic and smooth flow of goods”, founded the Northwest Communications College on a piece of wasteland in the suburb of Lanzhou, which laid the first footstone of Chang’an University.

In 1953, Xi’an Geology School, which was directly under the administration of Ministry of Geology of the Central People’s Government (CPG), and Xi’an Construction Engineering College which is under the administration of Ministry of Construction were founded successively. In 1952, Northwest Communications College moved eastward to Xi’an and was renamed Xi’an Highway Institute. In 1955, it was renamed again as Ministry of Communications Xi’an Auto Mechanics Institute. In 1958, the Republic met the first Socialist Construction boom, and the government transferred teachers and equipments of Beijing Highway Institute’s Preparatory Committee to Xi’an, and founded Xi’an Highway Institute on the basis of Ministry of Communications Xi’an Auto Mechanics Institute. Xi’an Highway Institute became the first institution of higher education in Asian which specialized in training professionals in highway transportation. It can be seen as the first milestone in the history of the university.

Xi'an Highway Institute                              Xi'an Institute of Geology                 Xi’an Construction Engineering School 

In 1960s and 1970s, these three schools underwent many difficulties, but their teachers and students, with the firm beliefs of constructing the motherland, were firmly rooted in the west region, contributed to the society, worked hard and perseveringly, which produced a large number of talents for national infrastructure.  

The minicar made                                         The first road constructed                   The first experimental bridge

by the university                                           by the university                                built by the university

Ordnance survey                                     Going to the grass roots,                          Making do with whatever is available 

                                                             going to the frontier                                when the school was just founded

At the same time, the school undertook the task of foreign aid construction and education, which cultivated a large number of oversea students for other developing countries.

    Foreign-aid construction                                                                    Foreign-aid education    

On April 18th, 2000, Xi’an Highway University, Xi’an Engineering Institute and Northwest Institute of Construction Engineering were merged into Chang’an University which is directly under the administration of Ministry of Education and this event creates a new era for the development and construction of the university. Since then, the university has seized the opportunity to scientifically develop and manage its teaching, research, administration, discipline and faculty construction, and the three functions of training talents, developing scientific research, and serving to the society have been successfully enhanced, with its strength and educational level being stably increased. The external influence of the university thus greatly increased.

Northern Main Campus                          Eastern Main Campus                     Western Main Campus