1. Overview

The Department of Histology and Embryology was founded by Professor Wenzhao Ma, the former member of the Chinese Academy in the 1940s and the Department had been continually under the leadership of chairmen including Professor Zhaote Li, Professor Bin Liu, Professor Junmin Tang, and Professor Hongquan Zhang. Now, Professor Li Mo is the head of the Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology. The Histology and Embryology discipline is the first Departments that provide degree training for master and doctoral degrees in China. It was selected as the key discipline of the National Education Commission in 1989 and also been selected as the key discipline of the "211 Project" in 1996. After several generations of hard and outstanding endeavor by all faculties, we have achieved many fruitful achievements in teaching and research activities, and have taken a leading position in this field in China. There are currently fourteen faculty and staff, including three professors, four associate professors, one assistant professor/associate researcher, two lecturers, two senior technicians, and two chief technicians. Eight individuals hold doctoral degrees. The Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology together with the Department of Physiology of Peking University Health Science Center ranks 14th globally for the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

2. Teaching activities

Histology and Embryology is an important foundational medical course. The undergraduate teaching mainly focuses on the course of "Histology and Embryology", supplemented by the elective course of "Translational Medicine Fundamentals of Tumor Invasion and Metastasis", and three courses for graduate students majoring in oncology and reproductive medicine. The Department actively carries out teaching reforms, establishes digital virtual slicing, builds online histological experimental courses, adheres to diversified and three-dimensional teaching guided by clinical problems, guided by basic knowledge, inspired by scientific research ideas, infiltrated by ideological and political humanities, and student-centered, in order to cultivate innovative and composite medical talents. We actively conduct teaching research on the construction of ideological and political education and mixed experimental curriculum system for the course of "Histology and Embryology". The five textbooks edited by Professor Bin Liu and Professor Junmin Tang have received awards from the national level, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Beijing Municipal Government; Professor Junmin Tang's course on "Histology and Embryology" has been awarded with the title of Beijing Excellent Course; Professor Hongquan Zhang is the editor-in-chief of the 5th edition of "Histology and Embryology" published by Peking University Medical Press and the associate editor-in-chief of the 4th edition of "Histology and Embryology" published by Higher Education Press. Several teachers in this Department have achieved excellent recognition in teaching competitions at the School of Basic Medicine, Peking University, and Beijing city; Received the Excellent Teacher Award from the School of Basic Medicine and the Medical Department, as well as the Excellent Teaching Reform Award and Special Prize; The teaching team has been awarded the title of "Excellent Teaching Team" by the School of Basic Medicine and Peking University School of Medicine multiple times.

3. Scientific research

In the 1980s, Professor Bin Liu took the lead in completing in vitro fertilization and culture of human eggs, making outstanding contributions to the birth of the first test tube baby in Chinese Mainland. This scientific research achievement won the second prize of National Science， Technology Progress Award and the first prize of Beijing Science and Technology Progress Award in 1989.

Since 2009, under the leadership of Professor Hongquan Zhang, an academic leader in the field, the Department has conducted research on cutting-edge directions in basic medicine and important issues related to human health. This has opened a new chapter in scientific research, and achieved a series of important achievements. Based on the history and current situation, the following research directions are carrying out: 1. Molecular and cellular biology underlying the mechanisms of malignant tumor metastasis; 2. Molecular basis of mesoderm development and molecular mechanisms of tumor metastasis and drug resistance; 3. Tumor epigenetic regulation and developmental epigenetic regulation; 4. The cellular microenvironment and the occurrence and development of tumors; 5. Molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment of polarity in vertebrate embryos.

In the past 15 years, we have received key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (4), general projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (13), major projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology (8), key projects of the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (2), and general projects of the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (4). More than 150 SCI papers have been published including Cell、Molecular Psychiatry, Molecular Cell, Nature Communications, Science Advances etc. We continuously improve the discipline construction and influence, plans for a new pattern of discipline development in the new era, promote interdisciplinary integration, focuse on cultivating young talents, and strive to contribute to the construction of Peking University as a “Double First-Class” University.

On September 1, 2025, Professor Mo Li became the new head of the Department. Professor Li is a recipient of the National Outstanding Youth/National Excellent Youth/National Overseas Excellent Youth Fund. Undertaking projects such as the "Basic Science Center" of the National Natural Science Foundation and the Key Research and Development Special Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Editorial board member of National Science Review and Director of the Office of the Joint Conference of Directors of National Interdisciplinary Research Institutes. The representative papers include Nature, Cancer Cell, Cell Research, Nature Chemical Biology, Nature Communications, Science Advances, PNAS etc.

4. Social services

The Department undertakes multiple social services, including the Vice President and Legal Representative of the Chinese Society for Anatomic Sciences; Vice President, Standing Committee Member, and Member of the Organizational Embryology Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Anatomy; Vice President of the Medical Developmental Biology Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Anatomy: Vice President, Executive Director, and Secretary of the Beijing Society of Anatomy; Director of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association; Chairman, Standing Committee Member, and Secretary of the Tumor Metastasis Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association; Vice President of the Hematology Translational Medicine Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association; Member of the Lung Cancer Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association and former President of the Matrix Biology Professional Committee of the Chinese Physiological Society; Vice President and Director of the Beijing Anatomy Society.