Liaoning Shihua University (LSHU) is located in Fushun, overlooking the scenic banks of the Hunhe River. It enjoys a beautiful campus environment. LSHU was originally founded in Dalian in 1950 as the first petroleum school of New China. In 1953 the school was relocated to Fushun and in 1958 it was upgraded to Fushun Petroleum Institute. In February 2000 its leadership was transferred to the People’s Government of Liaoning Province, in light of the management system of “simultaneous construction by central and local governments, with the local government playing a more prominent role”. In October of the same year, Fushun Coal Industry School was incorporated into Fushun Petroleum Institute; in February 2002, with the approval of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Fushun Petroleum Institute was renamed as Liaoning Shihua University. Since its establishment 64 years ago, LSHU has educated more than 100,000 graduates, most of whom are now undertaking leading roles in management and technology in various fields such as petroleum, and the coal industry.

Since the beginning of the new century, under the leadership of the Party Committee and the government of Liaoning Province, the university has adhered to the outlook for scientific development and holds firmly to the historical opportunity for stepping up on higher education, reinvigorating Liaoning’s old industrial bases and speeding up its development. LSHU successfully made a joint venture with Liaoning Provincial People’s Government, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC) and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), which has brought new opportunities for further development on a new platform. Taking the “indomitable spirit” as the long-term development strategy, strengthening the inner core values as the strategic focus, LSHU makes every effort to promote reform and innovation in education, has made great advances in schooling level, education standards, university operation scale and conditions. It has developed into a multidisciplinary university specializing in petroleum and petrochemical engineering with seven well coordinated disciplines of engineering, sciences, economics, management, humanities, law, and education. The university has also been designated by the MOE as the qualified institute for “Outstanding Engineers Training Plan”, the sole basic training base for high-level ethnic minority talent education as well as the training base for the undergraduate preparatory programs for ethnic students. Furthermore, the university has been named as the nurturing base for talents in short supply in the petrochemical industry.

By 2006, after many years of intense effort, a brand new fully functional campus was completed, with logically laid out infrastructure, a beautiful natural environment and a humanistic atmosphere, all blended together to achieve a harmonious whole. Combining education, research, humanity and ecology, the new campus, which integrates the previous campus, has taken on a modern, up-to-the minute look. The university covers a total area of 127 hectares. with a built-up area of 750,000 m2, together with stadiums of 100, 000 m2. The campus library has a total collection of 1.177 million books, and owns teaching and research instruments worth 0.172 billion RMB.