On this day, 128 years ago, on April 8, 1897 (March 7, 1897, the lunar calendar), Shanghai Jiao Tong University was founded and opened. On April 8, 1897, Nanyang Public School, the predecessor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was founded and opened. Nanyang Public School was founded in Shanghai, China in December 1896 (the 22nd year of Guangxu) by Sheng Xuanhuai, Shaoqing of Dali Temple of the Qing Dynasty. Together with Beiyang University Hall, it was the earliest university founded by China themselves in modern history of China. The school started on April 8, 1897. A normal college was first established, with 40 students enrolled and studying both Chinese and Western studies. Those who passed the exam were selected as instructors in the Public School, Intermediate Court and Upper House. This was the beginning of normal education in China. In the autumn of the same year, another foreign hospital (affiliated primary school) was set up, recruiting 120 students, aged between 10 and 18. In the spring of 1898, the Intermediate People's Court (second-class school) was established and 20 students were selected. In 1900, the Upper House (first-class school) was continued, realizing the plan to set up four schools in parallel. Its "Charter" plans a new school system: 120 students in each of the three colleges of foreign, middle and upper schools. Students in each college are divided into 4 classes according to their degree, with 30 students in each class. Each class is promoted one class every year. After completing the college, the college will be promoted to the upper house. After completing the college, the upper house will be awarded a diploma. The implementation of the education system connecting the three colleges became the prototype of the three-level system of universities, middle schools and primary schools in modern China. Public schools are designed to cultivate self-reliant talents, with the focus on the Upper House. The content of the education is mainly "based on understanding the profound roots of China's classics and history, guided by the Japanese Ministry of Law and Culture, and slightly imitating the meaning of the French School of State Politics." Cultivate talents in internal affairs, diplomacy, and financial management for the country. Later, due to the development of the political situation, the goals of running schools gradually changed. Before 1907, the main focus was to cultivate political and economic talents, and after 1907, the main focus was to cultivate industrial transportation talents. Since the funds come from China Merchants Bureau and Telegraph Bureau, the change in the affiliation between the two bureaus also affects the school and changes its name. In 1905, it was named the Higher Industrial School of the Ministry of Commerce, in 1906, it was named the Shanghai Higher Industrial School of the Ministry of Post and Communications, and in 1912, it was named the Shanghai Industrial College of the Ministry of Communications. In 1921, it was merged and adjusted with Tangshan Industrial College, Beijing Post and Telecommunications School, and Transportation Institute, and was originally named Jiao Tong University. The school has excellent economic conditions and better equipment than other engineering universities. Graduates with excellent grades will be sent to Japan, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States for study or internship. Nanyang Public School has trained a group of scientific and technological talents and contributed to the development of modern industrial transportation in China. Due to the Boxer Rebellion in Tianjin at the end of the 19th century, teachers and students of Beiyang University were transferred to Nanyang Public School to continue teaching. As a result, the first batch of university graduates in modern China graduated from Nanyang Public School. Because Nanyang Public School is located in the Shanghai Concession, it is less affected by war. At that time, all teaching materials were originally used by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which was then called "Oriental MIT". In 1955, in view of the international situation at that time and in order to support the construction of northwest education, the State Council decided to move Jiao Tong University to Xi'an in batches during the two academic years from 1955 to 1957. During the summer vacation of 1956, a new school building in Xi'an was completed, and the first batch of schools moved westward began. Finally, most of the experimental equipment, books (about 92%) and archives, about 60% of the teachers and students moved to Xi'an, while the rest stayed in Shanghai. Jiao Tong University is divided into Xi'an section of Jiao Tong University and Shanghai section of Jiao Tong University. On July 31, 1959, with the approval of the State Council, Jiao Tong University was established independently in two parts, establishing Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Xi'an Jiao Tong University respectively. At this time, Shanghai Jiao Tong University had 19 majors and Xi'an Jiao Tong University had 23 majors. Shanghai Jiao Tong University is a national key university jointly built by the Ministry of Education and Shanghai City. It has been identified by the country as one of the first batch of key universities in the 21st century.