Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) is the only university in China that provides Chinese and Chinese cultural education to international students. It is known as the “Small United Nations.” Indeed, as soon as you enter its doors, you notice that students from all nations attend this school.
BLCU is a higher education university affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education. It was founded in 1962 with the direct involvement of Zhou Enlai. 1964, it was named Beijing Language Institute; its name was changed to Beijing Language and Culture University in 1996.
THE LONGEST HISTORY, THE LARGEST SCALE, THE STRONGEST ACADEMIC STAFF
The university educates Chinese students in foreign languages, such as Chinese, economics, art, psychology, educational sciences, and linguistics. After 62 years of development, Beijing Language and Culture University has become a multidisciplinary international university that stands out with its language culture education and research. It has become a center for academic studies on languages and cultures in China and a school that trains qualified workforce in various fields. It also trains Chinese instructors and provides foreign language education for students who will go abroad.
Beijing Language and Culture University is the school with the longest history, largest scale, and strongest academic staff in international Chinese language and culture education. According to 2021 data, the university has trained approximately 220,000 students from 184 countries worldwide. Most of these students are known as people who know Chinese and are familiar with Chinese culture.
THE PRESIDENT OF KAZAKHSTAN GRADUATED FROM HERE
Many graduates have become well-known academic, political, and commercial figures today. Famous names such as current Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome, Chairman of the Kazakh National Security Committee Karim Massimov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov, German Chinese scientist Gu Bin, and American physicist and Nobel Prize winner Eric Cornell have studied at this university.
ALSO IN GOVERNMENTAL STAFF IN CHINA
The university has also trained hundreds of thousands of qualified people in China. Among them are students who have received special foreign language training for education abroad with state support, and many of them now hold important positions in various levels of government.
6,000 FOREIGN STUDENTS FROM 140 COUNTRIES EVERY YEAR
Beijing Language and Culture University is an important window for China’s foreign language education and cultural exchange. BLCU has established partnerships with 406 universities and educational institutions in 76 countries and regions, creating a multifaceted, multilayered, and comprehensive international education model. More than 6,000 international students from more than 140 countries study at BLCU annually, and approximately 100 foreign teachers work here.
The university hosts more than 1,500 international visitors each year. This university, where students from all over the world study together, and different cultures merge, has created a distinctive international campus that draws attention with events such as the “World Culture Festival.”
THE FIRST UNIVERSITY TO ESTABLISH A CAMPUS ABROAD
BLCU is the first Chinese university to establish a campus abroad, including Bangkok College in Thailand and Tokyo College in Japan. In addition, BLCU is one of the first Chinese universities to establish Confucius Institutes, with 22 Confucius Institutes (Confucius Classrooms). It has received the “Outstanding Confucius Institute China Partners of the Year” award many times.
Here are a few more figures from the 2021 statistics: The school employs approximately 1,225 full-time faculty and staff. There are 6,300 full-time undergraduate students and 2,599 full-time graduate students. It is ranked as one of the top 50 universities in China, one of the top four language universities, and the university with the most international students. The school has a five-story library, two markets, a five-story dining hall, and a halal dining hall.
