Though founded in 1985, the School of Economics at Fudan University can trace its history back to the Business Division established in 1917 and the Department of Economics set up in 1922. Thanks to its impressive history and outstanding faculty in fields such as political economy, macro- and micro-economics, world economy, international finance, etc., it has become one of the best known institutions of economics education and research on Chinese mainland.

With the mission to cultivate excellent students and help them start and advance their careers, the school has become a source of top human capital for research institutions, financial markets and government agencies. Especially since 1977 the school has graduated quite a few economists who work for famous universities or research institutions in China, North America, Europe and elsewhere: Dr. Min Zhu, former Vice President of IMF, and Dr. Shangjin Wei, former Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank, to name but two. Many of our alumni also work for the Wall Street, and financial institutions in Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, and Beijing.

There is no doubt that the school owes its achievement in education to its strong faculty team. Right after the founding of the P.R.C., Fudan's economics courses were taught by famous economists such as Xu Dixin, Wu Feidan, and Qi Qisheng. After the reform and opening up, among the top economists in Southern China were Fudan professors: Jiang Xuemo, Zhang Xunhua, Song Chengxian, Chen Guanlie, Hong Wenda, Yu Kaixiang, Wu Bolin, Hong Yuanpeng, Chen Shaowen and Ye Shichang. Since then, many younger economists have joined the school after receiving PhD from well-known universities in China and foreign countries, inheriting the tradition and steering the school towards the future.

So far the major research achievements our faculty members have made include publications in top international journals such as the American Economic Review, the Journal of Economic Theory, the Journal of Comparative Economics, and authoritative Chinese journals such as the Economic Research Journal, and Social Sciences in China. Moreover, many of our faculty members are on the editorial board of some international journals and act as referees for domestic and foreign journals. Last but not least, the school is proud of its research on the Chinese economy, which has attracted international attention.

In addition to maintaining the edge in our areas of strength and promoting fundamental research, the school has also paid much attention to the major national strategies by emphasizing policy research and consulting. Over the years, research platforms at the school have become think tanks playing an important role in central and local governments' decision-making. These platforms, namely China Center for Economic Studies, the Institute of World Economy, the Institute for Financial Studies and the Shanghai Institute of Free-trade Zone, are well-known for their work in short-term management of macro-economy, medium- to long-term transition and development policy, financial reform and innovations, social security, employment, health care, labor market and urbanization.

In today's uncertain business world, Chinese economy faces even tougher challenges after China has become an upper-middle income country. As we will need to enhance the students' ability to adjust, analyze and develop in a world full of uncertainties, we regard as our responsibilities to do better research, further internationalize, and build closer ties with society, businesses, governments, and our alumni.

As in the past, more achievements of the school would not be possible without the full support of the university authorities, the school staff, and our alumni. It is my firm belief that we have a common goal that is worth the effort of us all: a better future for a better school.