Engineering education in Peking University has a long history. 19 10 In March, the Institute of Technology was established (then called Engineering University), with two departments (then called School). After 19 16, Peking University Institute of Technology was closed, rebuilt and expanded, and by 1952, nearly 5,000 students had been trained. Later, 23 teachers and students of the Institute of Technology were successively awarded academicians of China Academy of Sciences and China Academy of Engineering. 1952, national faculty adjustment, the four departments of machinery, motor, civil engineering and architecture of Peking University Institute of Technology were merged into Tsinghua, and the department of chemical engineering was merged into Tianjin University; The establishment of Peking University Institute of Technology was cancelled.

In the early days of Peking University, there were various disciplines, including arts, science, agriculture and engineering. 1946, after the end of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, based on the weak industrial strength and the lack of senior engineering and technical personnel in China at that time, relying on the solid foundation of the Science College at that time, Peking University was officially listed as the Institute of Technology. At that time, Peking University Institute of Technology was full of talented people and famous scholars gathered: the president was Mr. Ma, professors were Qian Weichang, Zhong, Meng, Tang and Dong Shuping, part-time professors were Zhao Guangzeng, Qian Sanqiang, etc., and newly hired professors were Fu Ying, Miao Zhonghua, Wang Junkui, Chen Guo Fu and Wang Zhixuan, all of whom read widely.

65438-0938, Peking University Institute of Technology resumed its enrollment in Beijing, with Zhu, a civil engineer, as the head of the Department of Architectural Engineering, and Shen Liyuan, Zhong Sen and Zhao Dongri continuing to teach. 1945 was changed to Engineering College of Beijing Temporary University after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, 1946 was taken over by Beiyang University, renamed as Beiping Department of Beiyang University, and 1947 returned to Peking University Institute of Technology. 1952, the national department adjustment. The four departments of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, soil engineering and architecture in Peking University were merged into Tsinghua University, and the department of chemical engineering was merged into Tianjin University. The establishment of Peking University Engineering College was cancelled, and Peking University became a comprehensive university focusing on the teaching and research of basic disciplines of arts and sciences. In the long history of engineering education, Peking University Institute of Technology has trained more than 5,000 engineering and technical backbones for the country. At that time, teaching assistants such as Gao Jingde, Huang Hongjia, Deng Jiaxian and Zhu Guangya became famous experts and scholars. Department of Mathematical Mechanics/Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science before the merger

Peking University Department of Mechanics and Engineering Sciences, formerly known as Peking University Department of Mathematical Mechanics. The Department of Mathematical Mechanics of Peking University was established during the adjustment of 1952. At the beginning of the school, in order to meet the needs of national defense and economic construction, the major of mechanics was established. This is also the first major in mechanics in China. The teaching and research section of mechanics was established in 1953, with Zhou Peiyuan as its director.

At the beginning of the establishment of mechanics specialty, it was basically based on the model of Moscow University in the Soviet Union. Attaching great importance to the foundation of mathematics has long influenced the teaching and scientific research work of mechanics specialty and later mechanics department, and has become one of the fine traditions of Peking University's mechanics department, which has been preserved to this day. In the 1950s, everything was in full swing, and the construction of mechanics specialty received strong support from all sides from the beginning. From 65438 to 0955, Zhou Guangjiong and Wang Ren returned from the United States to work in the Department of Mathematical Mechanics. Qian Xuesen and Guo Yonghuai, two famous mechanics, also taught part-time in the Department of Mathematical Mechanics shortly after returning to China, which was of great help to the teaching and scientific research of the Department of Mechanics. Lu Shijia, Qian Weichang, Hu Haichang, Wu Linxiang and other famous scholars have also offered part-time courses for mechanics majors. Mechanics major has trained the first batch of urgently needed mechanics professionals for the country and made great contributions to national defense and economic construction. 1958, at that time, the largest low-speed wind tunnel in China was built in the department of mathematical mechanics, which made great contributions to the development and flight test of the first batch of domestic fighters. This wind tunnel has been running normally for more than forty years, and it still plays a role in teaching and scientific research today.

Ten years of turmoil has caused great damage and influence to the teaching and scientific research of mechanics specialty. During the period of 1969, the major of mechanics moved to Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, where traffic was inconvenient and information was blocked. However, under such difficult conditions, Wu et al. still completed the project "Theoretical analysis of rotating shell and its application in large cooling towers", which filled a blank in China. The finite element analysis program for large cooling towers was gradually accepted by the power sector in the early 1980s. Up to now, 400 or 500 large cooling towers have been designed by this scheme, accounting for more than half of the national thermal power generation, and no accident has occurred.

From 65438 to 0979, the mechanical major moved back to the headquarters. Soon, the Department of Mechanics of Peking University was formally established. Zhou Guangjiong is the minister, Wu and Liu Bizuo are the deputy ministers. Doctoral students were recruited from 1983, and postdoctoral mobile stations were established from 1987. Turbulence laboratory and environmental fluid laboratory were established in1983; 1984, set up engineering teaching and research section and test and analysis room; 1985 established the teaching and research section of computational mechanics and applied mathematics, and soon established a certain scale. 65438-0985, Peking University Environmental Science Center was established by some teachers of technical physics and geography departments. 1986 Peking University nonlinear science center was established in cooperation with the departments of geophysics, radio and physics. In recent ten years, the teaching and scientific research work of the Department of Mechanics has developed vigorously and achieved many scientific research results. (Statistics of 1992: 44 monographs, 30 translations and 1500 papers)

With the deepening of reform and opening up, the department of mechanics is also undergoing profound changes. 1994 the department of mechanical engineering was renamed the department of mechanical and automatic control, and cybernetics was added to the senior course. 1996, renamed the department of mechanics and engineering science again, and enrolled undergraduates majoring in mechanics and engineering respectively. All these reflect the new idea of adjusting the direction of teaching and scientific research according to the changing actual situation, so that on the one hand, it can keep up with the international advanced level, on the other hand, it can be closely combined with the actual needs of domestic socialist construction. A new generation of young and middle-aged teachers have become the backbone of teaching and scientific research, and they have continuously brought new ideas and new vitality to the Department of Mechanics.