Wuhan University (WHU) is a comprehensive and key national university directly under the administration of the Ministry of Education. It is also one of the "211 Project" and "985 Project"universities with full support in the construction and development from the central and local government of China.

The history of Wuhan University can be traced back to Ziqiang Institute, which was founded in 1893 by Zhang Zhidong, the then governor of Hubei Province and Hunan Province in the late Qing Dynasty. In the process of development and evolution, the institute changed its name several times before it was finally named Wuhan National University in 1928. 

It is one of the earliest comprehensive national universities in modern China. By the end of 1946, the university had established 6 colleges, the colleges of liberal art, law, sciences, engineering, agriculture and medicine. In 2000, an amalgamation of the former Wuhan University, Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electric Engineering, Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping, and Hubei Medical University was announced, which ushered in a new era in its 100-odd years of development.