The School of Physical Education of Henan University is developed from the Department of Physical Education of Kaifeng Teachers College. On March 18, 1960, officially approved by Henan Provincial Government, the Department of Physical Education of Kaifeng Teachers College (the processor of Henan University) was founded and recruited its first undergraduate students of physical education major in that year; in July, 1962, Zhengzhou College of Physical Education was incorporated into the department under the decision of Henan Provincial Government; on June 25, 1994, according to the development needs, School of Physical Education of Henan University was established. The school began to recruit postgraduate students and doctoral students in 1985 and 2005 respectively, forming a multilevel and multiform personnel training system with an emphasize on physical education teacher training which is a combination of various kinds of adult education, including undergraduate students, postgraduate students and doctoral students. It is the earliest undergraduate physical education major, the earliest master training unit and the only doctor training unit in Henan province.

The School of Physical Education has a distinctly characterized discipline construction and is one of the first established research institutions and first-level key discipline of Henan province. It now offers a postdoctoral research station in physical education, a doctoral program of physical education  in the first-level disciplines, master’s programs of physical education in the first-level disciplines, physical and health preserving science, sports economics and MFA, and four undergraduate majors of physical education, martial arts and national traditional sports, sports training and choreography (sport dancing). Among these, physical education major is a national-level characteristic discipline, martial arts and national traditional sports is a provincial-level characteristic discipline. The school is approved to set up a physical education teacher training base of the Ministry of Education, a key sports sociological research base of the General Administration of Sport of China, a sport culture development research base of the General Administration of Sport of China, a college characteristic and preponderant discipline laboratory co-built by the central government and local government, a campus football development research center of Henan, a traditional minority national sports training base of Henan, a track and field coaches and judges training base of Henan and a football coaches and judges training base of Henan, it is the chairman of The National School Physical Education Leagues (Henan branch) and Henan Physical Education Postgraduate Education Leagues. Meanwhile, the school has constructed more than 40 education practices bases in the General Administration of Sport of China, provincial sports bureau, city education bureau, city sports bureau, colleges and universities, primary and secondary schools etc.

With a reasonable talented person echelon and a rich teacher resource, the School of Physical Education now holds a faculty of 100 members including 88 full-time teachers. Among these teachers are 21 professors, 41 associate professors; 1 specially appointed professors in Henan province; 5 doctoral supervisors, 72 master’s supervisors; 40 teachers with a doctorate (including doctoral candidates); 1 member of the Advisory Board for College Physical Education Teaching, 1 discipline planning and evaluation expert of The National Social Science Fund of China, 1 expert with special government allowance from the State Council, 1 national excellent teacher, 2 college high-level sports team evaluation experts of the Ministry of Education, 1 with Zeng Xianzi Teacher Award, 2 provincial excellent experts, 2 provincial excellent teachers, 8 provincial young and middle-aged backbone teachers, 6 academic and professional leaders in the Education Department of Henan Province, 2 provincial excellent teaching teams, 12 with National New Talent Sports Award, and 18 international-level and national-level judges.

The School of Physical Education insists to promote the international communication and cooperation and speed up the internationalized school running mode. It has signed a cooperation framework agreement and conducted an all-round negotiation with the United States Sports Academy. And on the basis of the cooperation framework agreement between Henan University and Belarusian State Sports University, Russian State University of Physical Education and, Sport, Youth and Tourism, the cooperation between the school and these two universities has progressed well, a substantial cooperation has been developed in mutual visitation and communication between students and teachers, graduate students training, course introducing and so on, and exchanging teachers has also gradually started. Now more than 60 college graduates have gone to Belarusian State Sports University and Russian State University of Physical Education and, Sport, Youth and Tourism to study for a master’s degree, and meanwhile the school also selects students to go to Taiwan for training every year.

After nearly 60-years’ building and development, the School of Physical Education has formed a stable research direction. In recent years, the school has carried out 15 projects supported by National Social Science Foundation including 1 key project, more than 50 projects of the Ministry of Education planning projects and the General Administration of Sport of China projects, and over 200 of projects of social and scientific planning projects of Henan province, Science and Technology Department of Henan Province and Education Department of Henan Province; published more than 1000 academic papers and over 200 academic works and textbooks; attended the Olympic Games Sport Science Conferences, the Asian Games Sport Science Conferences, the National Sport Science Conferences with more than 600 participants; and obtained over 80 provincial and ministerial-level awards like Outstanding Achievement Award of the General Administration of Sport of China, Research Award of Henan province, Social Science Award of Henan province, Natural Science Outstanding Achievement Award of Henan province.

The School of Physical Education adheres to deepen the educational reform, upgrade the teaching philosophy and create the highland of sports talents training in central plains, and many achievements have been gained, including 2 national-level teaching achievement prizes and many provincial-level teaching achievement prizes. Besides, the school also sets up 1 national-level top quality course (football), 2 provincial-level top quality courses (track and field, and martial arts) and 4 university-level top quality courses; and participates in writing national planned textbooks of football, track and field, basketball etc., designing many national curriculum schemes, formulating the National Standard for Teaching Quality of Undergraduate Physical Education Major of Colleges and Universities of the Ministry of Education, the National Course Program of Physical Education Major of Colleges and Universities, the Norm of Undergraduate Physical Education Major of Colleges and Universities, and the Standard of Wushu Duan System of China for the General Administration of Sport of China.

The School of Physical Education advocates strengthening moral education and cultivating people, and laying equal stress on theory and practice. The more than 20 thousand undergraduate students and 3000 graduate students have won praise from the employers and all sectors of society for their solid theoretical foundation, strong practical ability and pragmatic professional attitude, and a large number of graduates have become the backbone in the field of education, sports and various kinds of schools at all levels. The school has also started a students’ employment and entrepreneurship leading group to fully secure students’ employment and guide them in career planning and employment and entrepreneurship, making the career prospects of all majors vast and the employment structure reasonable.

In September, 2017, Henan University was included in the list of “Double First-class” university project, and the construction of physical education discipline would be faced with new opportunities and challenges. The School of Physical Education will continue to uphold the university motto of “to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people and to rest in the highest excellence”, and the university ethos of “unity, diligence, preciseness and simplicity”, striving to build it into a national first-class and international influential school with distinct features and realize the centennial dream of building a powerful sports country!