As one of the national key universities directly under the State Ministry of Education (MOE) as well as one of the State '211 Project' and '985 Project' universities enjoying privileged construction, the present Sichuan University (SCU) was first incorporated in April, 1994 with Chengdu University of Science and Technology (CUST), then a national key university under the MOE, and then reincorporated again in Sept, 2000 with the West China University of Medical Science (WCUMS), a key university directly subordinate to the State Ministry of Health in 2000. The former Sichuan University was one of the earliest institutes of higher learning in China, with a history dating back to Sichuan Zhong-Xi Xuetang (Sichuan Chinese and Western School), established in 1896. The predecessor of CUST is Chengdu Engineering College, set up in 1954 as the result of the nation-wide college and department adjustment. WCUMS originated from the private Huaxi Xiehe University (West China Union University), established in 1910 by five Christian missionary groups from U.S.A., UK and Canada.