Fudan University strongly values expanding opportunities for students to learn outside of the classroom. The school promotes building a campus culture with a rich history and distinctive Fudan characteristics, which reflects the features of our times, as required in order to become a world-class university with first-class talent development. This plays the culture’s educational function of expanding students’ minds and broad ideals, shaping their integrity, determination, and character, bringing about ideological maturity, academic advancement, and a sound mind and body.

Student clubs and “Hundred Club Battles”

Student clubs play a decisive role in Fudan’s campus culture. Fudan’s student clubs have a long history and broad influence. The Fudan Opera Troupe was established in 1925, becoming Fudan’s first student club. The Painting and Calligraphy Society was founded in 1978, opening a brand new chapter in Fudan’s flourishing culture of student clubs.

There are currently 310 student clubs of all types, including 260 undergraduate organizations, 30 graduate student clubs, and 19 international student clubs. Undergraduate student clubs are further divided into 18 categories: skill enhancement, media, electrical, hobbies, management, scientific research, humanities, politics, music, dance, theater, ball sports, chess and card games, fitness, outdoor activities, public welfare, tutoring, international exchange. Graduate student clubs are divided into three categories: academic, practical, and culture and entertainment.

The student clubs have already become the driver of campus culture and the trendsetter of the university. They hold on average more than 2000 events every semester, including a number of hallmark activities with character, connotations, and influence, such as Fudan People’s Day, New Student Day, Student Club Day, Academic Culture Day, etc. Students jokingly refer to campus activities with a large participation from student clubs as a “Hundred Club Battle.”

Education through Experience and the “Seventh Teaching Building”

Student social practice and volunteer service are the two important forms of education through experience. Over 5000 students currently participate in social practice every year, with over 500 activities in every one of the country’s provinces, zones, and cities. The school’s relevant colleges offer “student social practice” courses to make the social practice more attractive; they provide complete guidance of the practice programs through project, teacher, and talent reservoirs, as well as practical teacher training groups, promoting simultaneous improvement of the student’s practical and academic abilities.

Volunteer service has already become a popular part of Fudan student culture. The school has currently set up 42 volunteer service stations and 38 long-term service bases, and there are more than 50 college and department volunteer service teams and public welfare clubs or long-term volunteer activities. After the Wenchuan earthquake, 1077 volunteers from Fudan participated in youth earthquake disaster relief teams; another 1300 people volunteered at the Beijing Olympic Games, Special Olympics, and World Aquatics Championships; and almost 700 volunteers were enlisted for training at various large-scale competitions and meets. During the World Expo, the school was even further mobilized, with “little bok choy” and “little blueberry” becoming famous with Chinese and foreign attendees alike.

Starting in 1999, as one of the first colleges and universities participating in the Chinese youth volunteer relays to help the poor, Fudan’s graduate student educational support group already has a 14 year history. Over 300 students participated in graduate student educational support groups in Ningxia and Guizhou and university student volunteer programs serving western regions. Fudan’s Handan Street Campus has a total of six teaching buildings, while Fudan students call the location of the student educational support groups the “seventh teaching building.” For more information click on “Spring in the Seventh Classroom” – a documentary made by Shanghai Documentary Channel.