President Jiang Zemin and other Chinese leaders, including Li Peng and Li Lanqing, have written letters or inscriptions to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Sunday.
"For the past 50 years, especially since the launching of the reform and opening-up drive, you have made great achievements in teaching and research," President Jiang Zemin wrote in his letter.
The aerospace university was established in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, east China, in 1952, one year after the People's Republic China set up its own aerospace industry.
Over the past 50 years, the university has developed into a multi-subject, state key university, focusing on aerospace engineering.
It has established academic ties with 22 universities across the world and has 15 institutes and over 20,000 teachers and students, including doctorate and master candidates and post-doctoral researchers.
(People's Daily October 21, 2002)
