Beida

Beida, short for Beĭjing Dàxué, is the common Chinese nickname for Peking University, a leading public research university in Beijing, China. One of the oldest modern universities in the country, it is regarded as a center of scholarship, innovation, and reform. The main campus is in the Haidian District, and the university maintains additional facilities and institutes in and around Beijing. Beida is a member of the C9 League, a group of China’s top universities, and has been a beneficiary of national higher-education initiatives such as Project 211 and Project 985.

Founded in 1898 as the Imperial University of Peking, Beida has played a pivotal role in modern Chinese education and intellectual life. It was a focal point of the May Fourth Movement and has long been associated with intellectual exchange, scientific advancement, and political thought. The university’s broad institutional structure supports disciplines across the arts, humanities, sciences, engineering, and professional fields.

Today, Beida emphasizes rigorous research, international collaboration, and academic freedom. It operates extensive libraries and research institutes and maintains a wide network of partnerships with institutions worldwide, including study-abroad programs and joint-degree initiatives. Notable components include the Yenching Academy, which hosts international fellows, and a large and influential community of scholars, students, and alumni who have contributed to China’s social, cultural, and scientific development.