School of Mechanical Engineering

The history of the School of Mechanical Engineering (SME) of Guangxi University (GXU) can be traced back to the establishment of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1933. In 1997, it merged with the Department of Agricultural Engineering of the former Guangxi Agricultural University, becoming one of the largest engineering schools at GXU. SME started its postgraduate student enrollment in 1978, which included five students in Mechanical Manufacturing and one in Internal Combustion Engines. In 1981, the school was granted one of the first batch of national second-level master's programs in Mechanical Manufacturing. In 2018, it obtained a doctoral program in the first-level discipline of Mechanical Engineering. 

SME offers comprehensive education programs at undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels. It currently has one doctoral program in Mechanical Engineering with five research directions: Mechanical Manufacturing and Automation, Mechanical Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Design and Theory, Vehicle Engineering, and Micro-Nano Engineering. Additionally, there is one master's program in Mechanical Engineering, two master's programs in Mechanical and Energy Power, and four undergraduate programs in Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Automation, Mechanical Electronic Engineering, Energy and Power Engineering, and Vehicle Engineering. Its Mechanical Manufacturing and Automation is a National First-class Undergraduate Program and a National Characteristic Program, and obtained China Engineering Education Accreditation by the Ministry of Education in 2017 and 2019; Energy and Power Engineering is a National First-class Undergraduate Program and a Pilot Program for Training Outstanding Engineers; Mechanical Electronic Engineering and Vehicle Engineering are both Provincial First-class Undergraduate Programs. SME currently has one National First-class Undergraduate Course, three Autonomous Region First-class Courses, one Autonomous Region Ideological and Political Teaching and Research office for Courses, two Autonomous Region Ideological and Political Demonstration Courses, and one Guangxi Youth Gold Lecturer Course. Meanwhile, SME has been approved as one of the First Technology Innovation Colleges in Guangxi (China-ASEAN Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Innovation College), one of the First Modern Industry Schools in Guangxi (Subtropical Intelligent Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Industrial College), the "Three all Education" comprehensive reform demonstration department of universities in the region (Class A), and one of the First Exemplary Joint Graduate Training Bases in Guangxi. Besides, SME has one of the First "National Model CPC Branch of Party Construction", one region's "Five-Star University Grassroots Party Organization", one region's "Three-Star University Grassroots Party Organization", as well as one of the First University Model Party Building Brand in Guangxi. It has also been awarded as the "Advanced Teaching Staff in the Region's Education System". 

With its advantageous key discipline in mechanical engineering in Guangxi, SME has established several key research platforms, including a National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center, a National Virtual Simulation Experimental Teaching Center, a National Engineering Education Practice Center, a Collaborative Innovation Center Jointly Built by Guangxi and the Ministry of Education, an Engineering Research Center of The Ministry of Education, a Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Advanced Manufacturing Technology in Guangxi, a Key Laboratory of Modern Design and Advanced Manufacturing in Colleges and Universities in Guangxi, an Innovation Platform For Intelligent Agricultural Equipment In the Subtropics, a GXU Engineering Training Center, a Research Center for Green Building Energy Conservation of GXU, and a Research Center for New Energy Vehicles of GXU, etc. SME possesses 13,076 sets of advanced instruments and equipment with a total value of over ¥200 million, such as flexible manufacturing systems, five-axis CNC machining systems, ultrafast laser processing systems, ultra-high precision 3D printing systems, and robotic systems.  

Currently, SME has 167 faculty and staff members, including 103 full-time teachers, 34 doctoral supervisors (including 8 part-time), and 72 senior professional titles. It has recruited a group of high-level talents and excellent teachers, including national overseas high-level experts, scholars of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Hundred Talents Program, National Excellent Teacher, experts enjoying special government allowances from the State Council, Ba Gui Scholars, outstanding experts in Guangxi, candidates for the Ten Hundred Thousand Talents Project in Guangxi, Guangxi Teaching Masters, Autonomous Model Teacher, Autonomous Excellent Teacher, Baosteel Excellent Teachers, winners of Guangxi Outstanding Youth Fund, candidates of China Association for Science and Technology, and candidates of Guangxi University 100 Talents Plan. Fifteen research teams and seven teaching departments have been formed in areas such as advanced power system of new energy vehicles, intelligent laser manufacturing and precision machining, fault diagnosis and intelligent operation and maintenance of large equipment, micro and nano electromechanical system, intelligent manufacturing, energy efficiency, clean and low-carbon utilization, optimization design of complex mechanical and electrical products, and research on intelligent measurement and control technology. In recent years, SME has won one first prize in the National Counselor Vocational Skills Competition, two special prizes and six first prizes in the teaching achievements of Guangxi Higher Education Autonomous Region, and one first prize in the engineering group of the regional College Young Teachers Teaching Competition. Teachers have been successively named as National Excellent Teacher, Nominees for the Person of the Year of National College Counselors, Guangxi Teaching Masters, Autonomous Model Teacher, Autonomous Excellent Teacher, Guangxi Outstanding Communist Party Members, Guangxi Outstanding Communist Party Members of universities, Guangxi Outstanding Party Workers of universities, Guangxi Youth Gold Medal lecturer, Guangxi College Counselors of the Year, Teaching Experts of Young College Teachers in the Region, and Baosteel Excellent Teachers etc.  

With serving the economic and social development of Guangxi as its main goal, SME has been dedicating to serving southwest China and expanding its influence in ASEAN countries. Advantageous disciplines have been developed in fields such as complex equipment design and fault diagnosis, intelligent agricultural machinery, environmental protection equipment, precision manufacturing, and engine design. SME boasts one provincial key laboratory (the Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Advanced Manufacturing Technology in Guangxi), two Guangxi laboratories (Guangxi Low carbon Intelligent Power Laboratory, Guangxi Forestry Laboratory) are jointly built with Yuchai, Guangxi Academy of Forestry and 13 state-owned forest farms, three Autonomous District-level Innovation Consortiums are jointly built with Dongfeng Liuqi, Liugong, Yuchai etc., three Pilot Research Bases for the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements co-established with Guangxi Agricultural Machinery Research Institute, Yuchai, Liugong etc., the China-ASEAN Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Innovation College cooperatively built with Liugong, Yuchai, Machinery Industry Research Institute, Forestry Group, CRRC Aluminum, etc. Through integrated cooperation between the university and enterprises, SME has long provided key technologies and talent support in sugarcane machinery equipment, intelligent agricultural machinery equipment in hilly areas, and engine design to domestic leading companies such as Yuchai, Liugong, Liuzhou Automotive, Liuzhou Steel, and Nanning Sugar Industry, achieving the "dual commercialization" of scientific and research findings to both society and teaching. Outstanding achievements in this field has been made by SME. Since 2020, 84 industry-university-research cooperation projects have been carried out with local areas, and a number of landmark achievements have been produced and applied to the industry. It has won five first prizes and three second prizes of Guangxi Science and Technology Progress Award, one first prize of Guangxi Science and Technology Invention Award, as well as one first prize and one second prize of China Machinery Industry Science and Technology Invention Award. The commercialization rate of invention patents is 24.85%, ranking among the top in colleges and universities in China. Among them, the matching degree between the number of commercialized invention patents and the key industries in Guangxi has reached 48%. Sixty-six horizontal projects serving local areas have been implemented since the 13th Five-Year Plan, effectively boosting the high-quality development of pillar industries in Guangxi. 

 SME aims to develop research talents with solid theoretical foundation, outstanding innovative awareness, and the ability to discover and solve key scientific problems in engineering. It particularly emphasizes the cultivation of scientific and technological innovation capabilities among undergraduate, and remarkable results have been witnessed in this regard. In the past decade, SME students have won over 100 national-level awards in discipline competitions (among which 17 were national first prizes) and over a thousand provincial-level awards, which includes gold and silver awards in prestigious competitions such as the “Challenge Cup” Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition, the “Challenge Cup” China College Student Entrepreneurship Plan Competition, the "Internet+" College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, the National College Student Mechanical Innovation Design Competition, and the China Agricultural Robot Competition. Three undergraduate students have received the China Youth Science and Technology Award. Since its establishment, SME has produced a large number of outstanding graduates who have made contributions to national construction and industry development. Many of them have become industry experts, government officials, corporate leaders, technical backbone personnel, and private entrepreneurs. Its notable alumni include: Li Lin and Wen Shengchang, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wei Naiwen, an expert in China's Two Bombs and One Satellite project; Yu Kejin, one of the founders of Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Yang Jichang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Guangxi Committee; Feng Henggao, Vice Chairman of People's Government of Guangxi; Lin Guoqiang, Vice Chairman of Guangxi CPPCC; Lu Yujuan, Chairwoman of Guangxi Women's Federation; Zhu Feng, Chairman of China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation; Long Yue, one of the chief constructor of China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope project; Shen Jie, former Chief Engineer of Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Co., LTD.; Li Zhiyuan, Chairman of Hainan Jinpan Technology Co., LTD.; Zhong Jingwei, General Manager of Shenzhen Yidao Holdings Co., LTD.; Huang Huajie, Chairman of Jinfeng Technology (Shenzhen) Co., LTD.; Zhang Zutao, Chairman of Shibu Dairy Co., LTD.; Wang Lianqi, Chairman of Hepu Huilaibao Agricultural Machinery Co., LTD.

SME has been attaching great importance to serving the society and strives to provide intellectual support and talent assurance for local economic and social development. Its active cooperation with enterprises secured the integration of university and enterprise as well as teaching and engineering. It has jointly established over 30 industry-university-research bases with well-known machinery companies such as Liugong and Yuchai, five large engineering practice education centers, a factory-based-school, and a school-based-factory. Among them, the Engineering Practice Base co-built with Yuchai Machinery Group Co., Ltd. has been recognized as a National Engineering Practice Education Center, and was approved as a Pilot Research Base for the Commercialization of Internal Combustion Engine Scientific and Technological Achievements in Guangxi in 2022. In 2023, SME was also approved as the Pilot Research Base for the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements of Sugarcane Production Equipment in Guangxi.

After 91 years of painstaking construction and collaboration among generations of mechanical engineers, SME will continue to uphold the GUX’s motto of “Diligence and Sincerity, Learning and Creativity” and SME’s motto of “Great Virtue, Deep Sincerity, Profound Learning, and Earnest Practice”. Aiming at developing Guangxi, embracing China, and enlarge its influence in ASEAN countries, SME will follow the principle of being student-oriented, actively adapt to the national innovation-driven strategy, strive towards the goal of creating “first-class discipline” and “first-class major”, thus serving the high-quality development of machinery industry in Guangxi , and making contributions to the construction of magnificent Guangxi and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.