Founded in 1893 and participated in both Project 211 and Project 985 launched by the Chinese Ministry of Education to promote the development of top key Chinese universities with qualities and potentials, Wuhan University has been conducting intensive researches and extensive services over many years on the regional, urban and rural development and the development of Central China with its unparalleled advantageous location in the region and extraordinary strength in multi-subject research.

　　Committing itself to the national strategy of the “Revitalization of Central China” initiate, the Institute for the Development of Central China was established in April 2007 as a multi-subject research entity of Wuhan University and was jointly administered by Wuhan University and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), a comprehensive Ministry of the Chinese Central Government administering reform-and-development-related issues across China. A council, chaired by the directors of NDRC from Beijing and constituted by the directors of the Provincial Development and Reform Commissions and important universities in 6 provinces of Central China, has also been established to coordinate the research on the development issues of Central China.

　　In June of the year 2018, the Institute for the Regional, Urban and Rural Development of Wuhan University was established to improve the capability of Wuhan University to serve for the Regional Coordinated Development and the Rural Revitalization Strategy. The Institute for the Regional, Urban and Rural Development and the Institute for the Development of Central China have two separate organization systems sharing with one academic team.

　　The two Institutes will carry out policy consultation, academic research and talent training since its establishment for the Strategies of Central China’s Revitalization Development, the Regional Coordinated Development and the Rural Revitalization Development.

　　The Institutes are now directed by Prof. Fan Hengshan, the top leader of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) with 13 full-time faculty members, including 4 full professors, 6 associate professors, 1 lecturer and 2 supporting staff members. All of them have received Ph.D., including 2 received Ph.D. in the US and 7 received the post-doctoral training.

　　The Institutes have been active in education, research and services since its establishment. It has conducted 305 research projects since 2007, with the total grant of over 40 million yuan. The important key project supported by the National Social Science Fund, entitled “the Study on the Benefit Compensation Mechanism for the Regional Coordinated Development of the New Era”, is successfully authorized. The Series of Monographs on the Strategy for the Revitalization of Central China and the Blue Handbook for the Metropolitan Area in the Mid-reaches of the Yangtze River are published. 22 monographs are published openly, including 8 monographs openly published by foreign press or translated into Chinese openly published by famous Chinese press. 236 academic papers have been published in the famous and important academic journals such as Economics Studies. 61 SSCI papers have also been published and indexed. Over 100 consultation reports are released, many of them accepted by high-level government agencies. The staff has attended over 310 academic conferences and consultation meetings in recent years.

　　The Series of nearly 40 research projects funded by NDRC have been successfully completed by the Institute, including some important research projects on the relocation of the industries in Central China, the development strategy of Central China in the 12th Five-year-Plan Period, the evaluation on the strategy for the revitalization of Central China from 2006 to 2011, the strategy for the regional cooperation and opening-up of Central China and the benefit-balance mechanism of the revitalization of Central China, the Central China’s Development Report of 2015, the Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions for the Rise-up of Central China in the New 10 years, the Evaluation and Policy Study for the Coordinated Development of the Metropolitan Zone of the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, the Outlook and Policy for the Revitalization of Central China Area, the Mid-term Evaluation for the Revitalization of Central China Area During the 13th Five-Year-Plan, the Outlook for the Revitalization Plan of the Central China Area During the 14th Five-Year-Plan, the Evaluation for the Policy Implementation of Hubei Province to Support Local Economic and Social Development, etc.

　　The Series of Papers on the Chinese Export Technology Complexity, the Imbalance Problem of the Ordinary Account in the International Trade, the SSCI paper on the Government and Market in the Urban Development Process during the National Reform Period have obtained the Second Prize, the Third Prize and the Third Prize of the Excellent Social Science Achievement of Hubei Province. The paper published on Economic Research Journal of China titled “the Resources’ Allocation Efficiency among Different Provinces of the Chinese Manufacturing Industry” has obtained the Third Prize of the Excellent Social Science Achievement of Hubei Province. The SSCI Paper on the Regional Methods of the Cross-Region Trade Adjustment: the Case-Study of Hubei Province, has obtained the Second Prize of the Excellent Social Science Achievement of Wuhan City.

　　The Forum on the Development of Central China, sponsored by the Institute, supported by the Division in charge of the Regional Economy of NDRC, held by the famous universities of Central China in turn, is an important forum of viewpoint exchange for the academic circle and government. It has been held in Wuhan, Taiyuan, Nanchang, Changsha, Zhengzhou and Hefei with different key issues for the development of Central China respectively during the past 8 years. The Forum is reported by the famous Chinese media, such as the People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV and Hubei Daily. The Forum has become a standing forum for the discussion and research on the development of Central China.

　　The Institutes have hosted Ph.D. program on Regional Economic Development and accepted students for both the Master and Ph.D. levels since 2007. Currently, it has an enrollment of 77 graduate students, including 24 Ph.D. students and 53 Postgraduate students. 248 students have already completed their studies, 113 of them with the Ph.D. degree and 135 with the Master degree.

　　The Institutes have also organized Training Programs for the Dangyang City Government of Hubei Province, the Management Committee for the State-owned Capital of Wuhan City, the Science and Technology Bureau and the Traffic Police Bureau of Guilin City, the Yangjiang City, the Wuhu City, the Zigong City Governments and some other enterprises. Over 530 leaders of different levels have received training with the standing training influence.

　　(Updated in January, 2022)

Honored Director of the Institutes

FAN, Hengshan

　　Prof. of Economics, Senior Economic Administrator, Vice-Secretary-General of the National Development and Reform Commission, Former Director of the Regional Policy Branch of the National Development and Reform Commission, Former Director of the Economic Reform Office of the Chinese State Council, Former Vice-Director of the National Development Promotion Office for the Central China Area.

　　Prof. Fan has researched on the economic reform theories and policies for a long period of time. He has taken part in the official Documents’ composition for the CPC and the State Council’s Government Work Report. He has played an active role in the research and composition for the documents, plans and programs on the Chinese development and the economic reforms. He is the top brain for the Chinese national government.

　　Prof. Fan is the top specialist of the important key project supported by the National Social Science Fund, entitled “the Study on the Benefit Compensation Mechanism for the Regional Coordinated Development of the New Era”. Prof. Fan is an active Prof. of Wuhan University, Peking University and Renmin University of China, with over 100 academic papers and over 30 monographs, many of which have obtained the National Book Prize and so on. He is the economic adviser for the governments of many provinces and cities. His achievements have been introduced in many biographies for the most respective people of the world.

　　Prof. Fan is the famous regional economist. He is one of the main designers for the Chinese regional economic policy. He has presided over the document composition work for about 100 Chinese regional development strategy, policy and programs, including the Wuhan Metropolitan Area, the Urban Cluster of the Middle-Reaches of the Yangtze River, the Coordinated Development of Bejing City, Tianjin City and Hebei Province, the Binhai New Development Zone, the Liangjiang New Development Zone, the Zoushan Islands New Development Zone. He is the main designer for some important strategic platforms, including Qianhai, Hengqin, Nansha and Pingtan. He is the honored director of the Chinese Regional Science Association and the senior adviser of the Chinese Regional Economics Academy.

Organization Structure

Contact

　　General Director: Prof. Lei Wang

　　Address: Villa No. 5, Luojia Mountain, Wuhan, Hubei, China

　　Zip Code: 430072

　　Tel.: 027-68763901

　　Fax: 027-68763901

　　E-mail: central@whu.edu.cn