The original South China University of Tropical Agriculture (formerly known as "South China Tropical Crop College") was founded in 1958 to break the imperialist blockade of our country's natural rubber in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Under the personal care of Premier Zhou Enlai, the South China Tropical Crop College, a characteristic university with rubber and tropical agriculture as its main focus, was established with the approval of the central government. It is the only university directly under the Ministry of Agriculture in Hainan Province with national key disciplines and doctoral programs. The South China Tropical Crop College and the South China Tropical Crop Science Research Institute, founded in 1954,operated under a system of "one team, two names," colloquially referred to as "Two Institutes",Together, they are hailed as the "twin stars" of China's tropical agriculture.

In the early days of the establishment of the university, under extremely difficult conditions, with profound patriotism, rigorous academic attitude, and selfless dedication, the "people of the two academies" broke through the internationally recognized "forbidden area" where rubber cannot be grown north of 15 °latitude, and created the myth of large-scale rubber planting in the area of 18-24°north latitude, making China the only country in the world to successfully cultivate rubber at such northern latitudes. From previously being a nation devoid of rubber cultivation, China miraculously rose to become the fifth-largest rubber producer in the world.  At the same time, This accomplishment also solidified the unparalleled position of the "two institutes" in the field of rubber and tropical agriculture research domestically, making significant contributions to the economic and social development of China's tropical regions.