Lanzhou University, in the capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, held a ceremony on September 17 for its 90th founding anniversary.

The university received inscriptions from Jiang Zemin, Chinese state president and general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee; Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress; and Li Ruihuan, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Li Peng and Li Ruihuan are also members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

In their inscriptions, the three leaders hope that the school would train more high-calibre people for the economic development of the western region of China.

Lanzhou University is the only institution of higher learning directly affiliated with the Ministry of Education in this part of the country. It was founded in 1909 and has had several name changes. In 1953, it acquired its current status. In 1996, it was listed as a key university and will received special government backing in the next century.

It has more than 14,000 students, 1,370 of them in postgraduate studies, and 8 institutes, 29 departments, and 48 majors.

The university also has 34 majors for doctoral candidates and 63 for other graduate students. (Xinhua)