Nishan looms in sight; the venerable academy shines bright.

The bell of teaching resounds; the Apricot Altar’s fame endures through ages.

Founded in the hometown of Confucius and advancing alongside the times, Qufu Normal University traces its origins back to Jinan in 1955, originally named Shandong Normal Junior College. In May 1956, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, it was upgraded to Qufu Normal College, and relocated to Qufu that September to launch undergraduate education.

From September 1970 to April 1974, its liberal arts faculties merged with Shandong University to form a new Shandong University. It regained independent institutional status as Qufu Normal College in April 1974.

In 1981, the Shandong Provincial People’s Government designated it as one of six key universities under provincial development. The same year, it became among China’s first batch of institutions authorized to recruit postgraduate students. In 1982, it was granted the right to confer master’s degrees. In November 1985, it was renamed Qufu Normal University.

Its Rizhao Campus was put into construction in 2002. In 2003, the university acquired the qualification to confer doctoral degrees. It was rated Excellent in the Undergraduate Teaching Level Assessment organized by the Ministry of Education in 2004. In 2022, the expansion project of its Qufu Campus, a major provincial education project under the 14th Five-Year Plan, was completed.

Over nearly 70 years since its founding, the university has drawn nourishment from profound traditional Chinese culture and upheld the mission of educating people through culture. It inherits the school motto “Be insatiable in learning and tireless in teaching” and carries forward its school ethos of “Diligence, Simplicity, Unity and Enterprise”. It has grown into a key provincial comprehensive normal university featuring prominent strengths in basic arts and sciences, coordinated development of multiple disciplines, distinctive advantages in promoting fine traditional Chinese culture and cultivating outstanding teachers.