Beijing Foreign Studies University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beijing Foreign Studies University (北京外国语大学), one of the most reputable universities in China, has won the name of a “garden university” with its attractive physical environment for learning in the Western suburbs of Beijing. The campus occupies an area of 304,553 square meters, with a student dorm area of 40,000 m² and a library of 9997 m². Other facilities on campus include an A-V Center, dinner halls, a university hospital, a stadium and tennis courts. The University is also popularly known as Bei Wai.
BFSU was qualified for the first round of the competition in its efforts to enter the “211Project”, launched by the Ministry of Education in 1996. The initial success is a hallmark in the history of the development of BFSU. BFSU aims at developing into a world class university known for its excellence in language learning/research and multi-disciplinary studies and providing learning opportunities to cater the growing needs in the Chinese society for well-training and competent professionals with high levels of proficiency in foreign languages.
Another 115 faculty members are recognized by the state for their academic performance and receive state subsidies. The faculty members at BFSU have scored fruitful results in teaching and research in their academic fields over the past decades. They have contributed to the training of qualified professionals well-versed in foreign languages and to the progress of BFSU’s teaching, research and program development. Many of them have become leading figures in their academic fields and gained good reputation in the academic community.
Beijing Foreign Studies University evolved from the Yan'an School of Foreign Languages based on the Russian Language Unit of the Third Branch of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese Military and Political College. The latter was established by the Communist Party of China in response to the development of the war against the Japanese invasion. Ever since her initiation, the Party Central Committee and the late Chinese leaders, including Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, have provided great care and teachings for the development of the university. BFSU has been China's principle base offering excellent training in foreign language learning and teaching. The university has turned out a large number of graduates with high levels of proficiency in foreign languages, who work in government departments of foreign relations or related areas since 1949. In its history of over half a century, Chinese leaders Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Chen Yi, Ye Jianying, Yang Shangkun, Liao Chengzhi, among others, have provided great care and guidance to the university. BFSU was affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from its establishment to the early 1980s and it is currently a key university under MOE.
