The Wuhan University of Technology (WHUT) is a public university in Wuhan, Hubei. The university is sponsored by the Ministry of Education. The university is the incorporation of three universities in 2000: Wuhan Industrial University (, est. in 1948), Wuhan University of Transportation Technology (, est. in 1946), and Wuhan University of Automotive Industry (, est. in 1958). The university is a Project 211 institute and a Double First Class University of the Double First Class University Plan. History The origin of the school originated in 1898 when Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, asked the Qing government to establish Hubei Institution of Technology. Wuhan University of Technology (WUT) was founded on May 27, 2000 from the former Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan Transportation University and Wuhan Automotive Polytechnic University. Each of these three universities has its own uniquely important history. The former Wuhan University of Technology dated back from three colleges, namely, Zhongnan Construction Engineering College in 1952, Shenyang Building Materials Industry College in 1958 and Beijing Institute of Building Engineering in 1958. Then in 1971, Beijing Institute of Building Engineering merged with Wuhan Construction Engineering School and thus formed Hubei Construction Industry College. Later in 1978, the college was awarded the title as national key university and then changed its name to Wuhan Institute of Building Materials. In 1985, the college changed its name to Wuhan University of Technology, which later passed the evaluation of "State 211 Project" in 1996 and entered into the direct administration of the Ministry of Education in 1998 before its merge with the other two universities in May 2000. The former Wuhan Transportation University mainly originated from National Maritime Vocational School in 1946. Then in 1949, the college changed its name to Wuhan Transportation College. in 1952, the college changed its name to Wuhan River Transportation College. Later in 1957, the college changed its name to Wuhan University of Water Transportation Engineering which then received the discipline adjustment by the Ministry of Transportation in 1963. More importantly, the college merged with Wuhan River Transportation School and thus got its name as Wuhan University of Water Transportation Engineering. Later in 1993, the college was officially named as Wuhan Transportation University by the Ministry of Transportation before its merge with the other two universities in May 2000. The former Wuhan Automotive Polytechnic University came from the original Wuhan Institute of Technology which was founded in