Editor’s Note:
With the history going forward, IMU has experienced its good days in the past. In 1957, IMU was established in the northern border area of China with the country’s new development, which started the new chapter for the education of higher learning in the border area mainly inhabited by minority ethnic groups in China.
For 63 years, IMU has followed its original aspiration and mission to “cultivate talents for the CPC and the country”, taken the responsibility to “base itself in the northern border area of China and boost education and Inner Mongolia”, clung to the “Two-Task” principle proposed by Ulanhu, IMU’s first president and found out a path for the construction of a high-level university in the border area mainly inhabited by minority ethnic groups in China.
During the 13th-Five-Year-Plan period, IMU has started its construction of a “Double-First-Class” university, become the institution of higher learning jointly built by the Ministry of Education and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and had a great-leap-forward development. The university has oriented itself to first-class innovations and contributions, highlighted the characteristics of quality and put emphasis on the connotative development. Taking talent cultivation, innovative capabilities and serving and contributing to the society as the core elements in its development, IMU has adhered to driving its development by double engines of the improvement of its strength and deepening of its reform. It has also carried out “Six Strategies”, pushed forward the “Reform in Six Aspects”, solidified its existing foundation, kept ahead and tried its best to build itself into a university with prominent minority ethnic characteristics and regional characteristics.
The year of 2020 is the last year of the 13th-Five-Year-Plan period and also the year for the strategic planning of next five years. To sum up the great achievements made by the university during the 13th-Five-Year-Plan period, look into the 14th-Five-Year Plan and focus on planning a new future of IMU, IMU Newsnet is to give a series of reports themed “Looking Back at IMU During the 13th-Five-Year-Plan Period, We Unite Together to Strive for Our Future”.
IMU arduously carried out the innovation theory of the CPC for a new era on campus and formed a new pattern for philosophical education which combines political theme education, students’ organization culture, role models, internship and innovation and entrepreneurship. It carried forward the national spirit with patriotism at its core and reform-and-innovation-focused spirit of times. The university relentlessly nourished and practiced the socialist core values, advanced the integrated building of the platforms for spirit culture, system culture, behavior culture and environment culture and created positive atmosphere for teachers, students and the whole university, of course. It inherited and bettered the valuables of Chinese culture, especially carried forward the valuable parts of Chinese traditional culture and forged a strong sense of Chinese Nation Community. It motivated itself to gather strength for pressing ahead with “Double-First-Class” construction and deepening the connotative development.
Prominent effect of nourishing and practicing socialist core values
Mainly through teachings in class and with the philosophical class innovation plan named “Flag and Navigation”, demonstration classes of philosophical integration in major courses, high-quality classes for general education and internship bases, IMU created a talent training system via courses which properly integrates value leading, teaching and internship. It tried its best to push forward its theoretical studies and elaborations and integrate its leading disciplines to carry out the coordinated special study of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and put into practice the essentials of Xi Jinping’s instructions for Inner Mongolia. IMU made a series of achievements in the construction of eco-civilization, inheritance of valuables of Chinese culture and popularization of the spirit showed by Mongolian horses. In addition, the university also established the specialist theory-publicizing group and theory-studying teams named “Cavalry” to go to the grassroots to popularize and explain new policies. The audiences of the popularization and explanation of the groups and teams were widened through livestreaming and there have been over 1 million viewers for it.
The lecture on meritorious deeds of Chinese astronauts themed “Striving forward in the new era and showing loyalty in fulfilling dreams”, is held at IMU.
A young flash mob is organized to nourish and put into practice socialist core values.
Forming good traditions for teachers, students and the whole university
IMU established a political work pattern combining political theme education, students’ organization culture, role models, internship and innovation and entrepreneurship and promoted the education about socialist core values and Chinese dream through the pattern. With the publicity of the exemplary deeds of teachers and students, IMU History Museum and IMU Museum for Minority Ethnic Groups and production of publicity specials, IMU has vividly told a story how it based itself in northern border area of China and helped to boost Inner Mongolia in education and other aspects. The university carried forward its spirit to admire truth and seek excellence, and gathered strength motivated by Xi Jinping’s instructions and its pursuit of building a “Double-First-Class” university. In addition，IMU integrated the construction of four platforms for culture of spirit, culture of system, culture of behavior and culture of environment. IMU also conducted the project to transform and improve the environment of the university and created a morally advanced university which is a spiritual Eden and harmonious and where there are beautiful environment, strongly academic atmosphere and high-quality education. In 2017, IMU was appraised and approved as a morally advanced university at national level.
The School of Mongolian Studies organizes a survey group of students to Jarud Banner in its publicity of knowledge about culture, technology and health in summer holidays.
IMU organizes the competition themed “Stay True of Original Aspiration and Bear in Mind Mission” for those who performs well in the study of political agendas.
Improvement of the quality to cultivate talents culturally
IMU made special plans for cultural construction and continuously brewed and supported the projects to cultivate talents culturally which have characteristics of IMU, meet the requirements of the times and integrate the characteristic of disciplines concerned. Giving full play to its excellent campus culture, IMU started the events themed “Singing of Motherland by the Young” with other universities in China. And the MVs named “My Motherland and I” that IMU produced were broadcast on CCTV’s Xinwenlianbo(a prime-time news program) and Xuexiqiangguo(a media platform for study). In terms of the 70th anniversary of the founding of P.R.C., the university created and produced a series of works such as a song named The Grassland Bless You-My Motherland and documentary of A Pearl on the Grassland, which were widely responded. IMU actively promoted the establishment of the base for pass-down and inheritance of valuable parts of Chinese traditional culture. IMU has 6 education bases at the autonomous region level including IMU History Museum and IMU Museum for Minority Ethnic Groups. The bases are open to the public for cultural popularization and moral practices and have more than 10 thousand trainings and visits every year. They play a demonstrative and radioactive role in inheriting and making innovation in Chinese traditional culture and advancing national unity.
IMU holds a campus cultural Nadam named “Impression of Grassland” in 2019.
IMU holds a national-flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Following the right path and making innovations in theoretical construction of philosophy and social sciences
Taking ethnology as the leading discipline, IMU promoted the overall and systematic studies of the history and culture of minority ethnic groups in northern China. Supported by 19 national key projects of social sciences including “The History and Geography of Mongolian Plateau in Qing Dynasty” and “The Construction of Database of Literature in Uighur Mongolian”, the university made the achievements in advancing the construction of its discipline system, academic system and discourse system in the studies of the history of Mongolians and other ethnic groups in northern China, Mongolian language and literature and development of contemporary minority ethnic groups. Of the achievements, the Restudies of Khitan Small Scripts and the Structuring of World History Theories in Contemporary Times won the 2nd-class prize of the 8th Ministry of Education Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award for Institutions of Higher Learning. IMU deepened its theoretical understanding of forging the strong sense of Chinese Nation Community and IMU Center for Chinese Nation Community becomes one of the Research and Brewing Bases for Enhancing Chinese Nation Community jointly established by four departments and ministries like the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. The Platform for Digitalization of Language Resources in Northeastern Asia was approved as one key project by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Government and is funded with 49.77 million yuan. The project can interconnect the languages and cultures of the northeastern Asian countries and provide theory and platform support for the northeastern Asian countries and regions to fulfill and protect their common interests and work together for the community with a shared future for mankind. The Center for History and Culture of Ethnic Groups in Northern China that IMU is to establish with Chinese Academy of History will help to structure three systems with Chinese characteristics, i.e. discipline system, academic system and discourse system of the studies of history and culture of ethnic groups in northern China.
The Restudies of Khitan Small Scripts wins the 2nd-class prize of the 8th Ministry of Education Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award for Institutions of Higher Learning.
The virtual hall of the Museum for Digitalization of Language Resources in Northeastern Asian Countries and Regions
Prominent achievements made in inheritance and research of the valuables of Chinese traditional culture
IMU focused on the significant themes of cultural inheritance and innovation, worked for the digitalization of ancient Mongolian books, created the digital hall of the ancient Mongolian books, and photolithographed and published the tablet inscriptions in Uighur Mongolian. The university systematically sorted out the books in such ancient languages as Rune language, Khitan language and Juchen language and made achievements in the digitalization of them. IMU tapped the progressive connotation of national unity in the ancient Mongolian books, carried forward the valuables of Chinese traditional culture and promoted the exchange and integration among different ethnic groups. The university also established the database for all the ancient Mongolian books in China and developed China’s first Mongolian AI platform which leads the processing of information in Mongolian into the AI age. The Center for the Coordinated Innovation and Brewing of the Inheritance and Development of the Cultures of Mongolians and Other Ethnic Groups in Northern China is a coordinated innovation center at the autonomous region level and plays a popularizing and guiding role in passing down and inheriting the valuable traditional cultures of minority ethnic groups.
China’s first Mongolian AI platform is launched.
IMU starts its digitalization of ancient Mongolian books.
Increasing contributions to policy-making consultancy and social service
IMU made effective progress in structuring the discipline system, academic system and discourse system of its disciplines of ethnology, Mongolian studies and histories and cultures of ethnic groups in northern China. During the 13th-Five-Year-Plan period, the university got approved 11 competitive key projects and 8 non-competitive important projects from the National Social Science Fund of China. In addition, IMU established “the Research Base for National Conditions of Mongolia” and “China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Research Institute” and its Mongolian Studies Center and the Research Center for Mongolia were successively selected as the source think tanks of CTTI(Chinese Think Tank Index). The university and the general office of Inner Mongolia CPC Committee jointly established “Inner Mongolia University Think Tank” and became a member of “One Belt and One Road Think Tank Cooperation League”. It has provided 226 advisory reports for the departments concerned of the autonomous region and country, 184 of which have been adopted. Of these adopted reports, the Development Research Center of the State Council adopted 5 reports and the Counselors’ Office of the State Council adopted 1, and 1 won the honorable prize of the 2nd Fei Xiaotong Field Survey Award of the Counselors’ Office of the State Council. Its Research Center for Chinese Nation Community was selected as one of the Research and Brewing Bases for Enhancing the Sense of Chinese Nation Community. And the Research Center for National Conditions of Mongolia became one of the Centers for “One-Belt-and-One-Road” Countries and Regions of the Ethnic Affairs Commission of P.R.C..
IMU becomes one of the members of “One Belt and One Road ” Think Tank Cooperation League.
IMU’s Research Center for Mongolia is selected as one of the source think tanks of CTTI(Chinese Think Tank Index).
The institutions of higher learning in China have the responsibility to carry forward the valuables of Chinese culture. For years, IMU has been entertaining its cultural confidence, pouring much energy into carrying forward the valuable traditional culture of the Chinese nation, making its teachers and students well-nourished by culture and firmly forging the sense of Chinese Nation Community, which provides the strong support for the “Double-First-Class” construction of the university.
