South China University was formed by the merger of Central South Institute of Technology and Hengyang Medical College in March 2000. In June 2002, the Sixth Institute of Nuclear Industry merged. The predecessor of Central South Institute of Technology was Hengyang Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Engineering founded in 1959. It is a first-class university in Hunan province and a key university supported by the basic capacity building project of universities in the central and western regions of the country.