Beijing Language and Culture University

Also known as the ‘Little United Nations’ due to the significantly large conglomeration of its students from across the globe, the Beijing Language and Culture University is the sole institution of its kind in the entire country offering the Chinese language and the Chinese culture as independent courses to students from across the world. Naturally enough, the university has the longest innings in this exclusively fascinating sector. However, the credit for endeavoring to even make Chinese a subject for students from across the world was not an easy task. Nevertheless, the first step was a bold and an immensely rewarding one what with the Chinese language and culture opening up to the globe, an event hardly dreamt before!

TRACING THE ROOTS

The credit for undertaking the gargantuan challenging task goes to the first cohort of the teachers of the Beijing Language and Culture University. Due to their untiring efforts ably supported by the university authorities, the maiden school with a Chinese-learning curriculum dovetailed for students from around the world was evolved. It was entitled ‘Higher Preparatory School for Foreign Students’. It was established in June 1962.
NOMENCLATURES: In 1964, BLCU was rechristened ‘Beijing Language Institute, but less than two years i.e., in June 1966, its nomenclature was simplified to the earlier name, ‘Beijing Language and Culture University’. The name was further toned down to ‘Beijing Language University’ with the nod of the Ministry of Education in July, 2002. On September 6, 2002, the 40th anniversary celebration of the institution was held. On the occasion, Jiang Zemin — the then General-Secretary, Li Lanqing the Vice-Premier, and Li Peng — the Chairman of NPC Standing Committee wrote letters of congratulations and encouragement.

FACULTIES: The faculties of the language department of the institution are the most largest and experienced in China. It is made up of more than 800 mentors. Of them around 400 are research fellows/professors or associate research fellows/ associate professors. The university further engages prominent national and international scholars including professors as guest speakers. More than 100 foreign linguists specializing as language specialists have served the institution in the capacity as faculty members.

INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE: Since its inception, this university referred to as the ‘BLCU’ in short has become the educational hub for international students and research scholars. Till date, the university has made proficient more than 150,000 foreign students in Chinese language and culture. University statistics show that these scholars hailed from more than 176 countries across diverse climatic regions.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY PURVIEW: Set up in 1962, the Beijing Language and Culture University also functions as a multidisciplinary seat of higher learning on language teaching and research. Over and above the teaching departments, the university also has the following nine internationally acclaimed language research institutions: the Capital International Culture Research Base, Chinese Culture Research Center, the Chinese Proficiency Test Center (HSK), the Institution of Comparative Literature, the International Research Base for Chinese Language Teaching, the Language Research Institute, the Institute of Applied Linguistics, Language Information Processing Center, and the Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Center TCFL). The last but not the least important language teaching and research unit, TCFL is the only research support at both the provincial and the state levels in teaching the Chinese language as a foreign language within China. It conducts a number of scientific research programs in the field.

The purview of the Beijing Language and Culture University widened much more with the introduction of multi-disciplinary courses there in the 1990s. The new disciplines introduced were in the following five categories, namely, economics, engineering, law, literature, and management. The criteria for the selection of the varied courses are guided by two features, rationality in structure and substantiality in content. The University has 15 Ph. D programs and also a post-doctoral research center besides 23 bachelors’ degree courses and 28 masters’ degree curricula.

The Beijing Language and Culture University has the following 15 institutions: the College of Continuing Education, the College of Advanced Chinese Training, the College of Chinese Studies, the College of Foreign Languages, the English Education Center, the School of Humanities, the College of Intensive Chinese Studies, the College of Information Science, the International Business School, the College of Network Education, the Physical Education Department, Pre-departure Training Department, the School of Social Sciences, the Teachers Training College, and the school of Translation and Interpretation.

The Beijing Language and Culture University further has a well-equipped hi-tech Center of Internet and Information Technology, a publishing house, besides a library having a rich collection of materials on varied subjects with the majority being in the language section.

Academic & Department