In 2009, the University of Cambridge reaches a special milestone - 800 years of people, ideas and achievements that continue to transform and benefit the world. Myriad achievements and world-changing ideas were born within the walls of Cambridge, from the establishment of the fundamentals of physics to the discovery of the structure of DNA; from the transformative thinking of great Cambridge philosophers，poets and artists; to the groundbreaking work of its many Nobel Prize winners.

As claimed by the university itself, its mission is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. The core values of it are: freedom of thought and expression and freedom from discrimination. Questioning spirit, close inter-relationship between teaching, scholarship and research are often encouraged in Cambridge.

It is one of the world’s leading research universities. Cambridge affiliates have won more than 80 Nobel Prizes, more than any other institution in the world. Some of the most famous scientific minds in history have studied, researched or taught here. This is the home of Newton and Darwin, Crick and Watson, Babbage and Hawking, However, it is also the place where the first fully 3D computer game was written, where the precursor to the modem webcam was invented, and where some of today’s best-known entertainers began their careers.

Cambridge is a collegiate university, meaning that it is made up of self-governing and independent colleges, each with its own property and income. Most colleges bring together academics and students from a broad range of disciplines, and within each faculty, school or department within the university, academics from many different colleges will be found. The University of Cambridge currently has 31 colleges, of which three, Murray Edwards, Newnham and Lucy Cavendish, admit only women. The other colleges are now mixed, though most were originally all-male.

Cambridge provides an unparalleled learning experience for the students, who come here from across the globe. The teaching staff are world leaders in their fields, working towards the discoveries and innovations that will transform lives now and in the years to come.

During the eight centuries, colleges have been found one after another with the constructions of distinctive buildings; numerous scientists, writers, artists and politicians spent wonderful days either studying or teaching in Cambridge. Though some buildings decayed in the 800 years, the spirit and charm of Cambridge is still thriving. May Cambridge enjoy a more brilliant future!