Beijing Language and Culture University

Beijing Language and Culture University
北京语言大学
Other name
Bei Yu (北语)
Former names
Higher Preparatory School for Foreign Students (1962–4), Beijing Language Institute (1964–1996)
Established1962; 62 years ago (1962)
PresidentPeng Duan
Vice-presidentCao Zhiyun, Qi Dexiang, Dong Lijun
Chairperson of the University CouncilNi Haidong
Administrative staff
1,201 (est.)
Undergraduates6,258 (4,486 domestic, 1,772 international)
Postgraduates2,216 (1,879 domestic, 337 international)
338 (242 domestic, 96 international)
Location,
China

39°59′36″N 116°20′16″E / 39.99333°N 116.33778°E / 39.99333; 116.33778
CampusUrban
ColorsGreen, yellow, gray
MascotBeiyuer (宝贝鱼)
Websiteblcu.edu.cn
english.blcu.edu.cn
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese北京语言大学
Traditional Chinese北京語言大學
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinBěijīng Yǔyán Dàxué
Yuyan Xueyuan
Simplified Chinese语言学院
Traditional Chinese語言學院
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYǔyán Xuéyuàn

Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU; 北京语言大学) is a public university of linguistics in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China.

The current south gate

The university has the main aim of teaching the Chinese language and culture to foreign students.[1] It is a key university directly under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. It is the only international university founded by the People's Republic of China named after "language" and with the main mission of spreading Chinese language and culture. However, it also takes Chinese students specializing in foreign languages and other relevant subjects of humanities and social sciences, and trains teachers of Chinese as a foreign language. It used to be the only institute of this kind in China. After the push for higher education starting in the 90s, nowadays many other universities in almost every major city in China have a similar offer. Thus bachelor, master or post-doc degrees in "Teaching Chinese as a second language to Foreigners", as well as bachelor's and master's degrees in several foreign languages, are no longer only to be found at BLCU.[2]

Beijing Language and Culture University is often called "Little United Nations" in China because of its very large number of international students from various countries.[1][3] As of 2022, there are approximately 9,000 international students in its campus, ranking first in China.[4]

As of 2020, Beijing Language and Culture University ranked no.5 nationwide among universities specialized on languages teaching and research in the recent edition of a recognized Best Chinese Universities Ranking, the sub-ranking of Shanghai Ranking.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Why Beijing Language and Culture University". Beijing Language and Culture University. Archived from the original on 2017-09-27. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  2. ^ "About BLCU". Beijing Language and Culture University. Archived from the original on 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  3. ^ "Beijing Language and University About BLCU". english.blcu.edu.cn. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  4. ^ Chiu, Christine (2021-01-27). "Top 100 Most Popular Universities for International Students in China". China Admissions. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  5. ^ "ShanghaiRanking's Best Chinese Universities Ranking". www.shanghairanking.com. Retrieved 2022-01-07.