Further Understanding the Nature of University——Consideration of a Question Put Forward by Qian Xuesen

Considering famous late scientist Qian Xuesen' s question why China's universities fail to cultivate outstanding talents,the paper starts from the history of world university reform,analyzing the reform of the medieval universities,early modern universities,universities of the nineteenth century and the influence of Germany's universities on higher education in the world and the history and tradition of China's universities,it elaborates the nature and function of university.On this basis,it proposes that China's higher education reform is bounded by the impact of economic tide and the traditional ideology and the system of official standard in the past 30 years of reform and opening-up,so it has deviated from the nature and function of university.Only through returning to the nature of university and overthrowing the ideology and system of official standard,can universities cultivate outstanding talents.