Shandong University is one of the contemporary Chinese higher education initiative universities. Its medical school, founded in 1864, marked the start of modern Chinese higher education. The Shandong Imperial College (Shandong Da Xue Tang), founded in 1901, was China’s second national institution after the Imperial University of Peking.The main campuses are in Jinan, with two further campuses in Qingdao and the coastal city of Weihai. Its motto is “Noble in spirit, endless in knowledge” and its mission is “Reserve talents for the world, and seek prosperity for the nation”. It is one of the highest-ranking universities in China, as one of the first members of Project 211 and Project 985, two-state projects to support the development of the country’s best universities.