The School of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), commonly referred to as the School of Chinese, traces its roots back to 1951 when the Chinese section was established at the Beijing Russian Language School. In 1985, it launched one of China’s first undergraduate programs in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. In 1992, the school began offering undergraduate education for international students. The undergraduate program in Chinese Language and Literature was introduced in 2004. Since 2005, under the first-level discipline of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the school has established two second-level doctoral programs: Comparative Literature and Cross-cultural Studies (a Beijing Key Discipline) and International Chinese Language Education. In 2007, it was approved to offer one of China’s first professional master’s programs in International Chinese Language Education. In 2011, it gained authorization to offer an academic master’s program in the first-level discipline of Chinese Language and Literature and a professional master’s program in International Chinese Language Education. In 2019 and 2020, its International Chinese Language Education and Chinese Language and Literature were selected as National First-Class Undergraduate Programs. In 2024, the school was authorized to offer a doctoral degree program in the first-level discipline of Chinese Language and Literature, with five second-level disciplines under it: Literary Theory, Applied Linguistics, Chinese Philology, Comparative Literature and World Literature, and Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature.

The School of Chinese integrates education for both Chinese and international students. It consists of three teaching units: the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, the Department of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, and the Chinese Language Training Center. The Department of Chinese Language and Literature is responsible for undergraduate education for Chinese students and postgraduate education for both Chinese and international students. The Department of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language provides the undergraduate program in Chinese language for international students, while the Chinese Language Training Center offers non-degree Chinese language education to international students.

The school boasts a well-structured and experienced teaching team. It currently has 64 faculty and staff members, including 57 full-time teachers, 79 percent of whom hold doctoral degrees and 63 percent hold senior professional titles. The school also employs more than 30 adjunct faculty members. There are over 1,200 students enrolled, including more than 500 Chinese students and over 600 international ones.

The school hosts several research platforms, including the Center for Comparative Literature and Cross-cultural Studies (a Beijing Key Discipline) and the Center for Global Chinese Language Education Studies. It also publishes the bilingual journal International Chinese Language Education (in both Chinese and English).

Contact Information
Phone: +86-010-88817812
Email: zhongwen@bfsu.edu.cn