School of Chinese Language and Literature BFSU
School of Chinese Language and Literature
Beijing Foreign Studies University
As a major university directly under the Chinese Ministry of Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) is the oldest of its kind in the country, offering more foreign language programs than any other school to students of all levels. With 101 foreign languages taught at the university, BFSU has exchange programs with institutions of higher education and academic research from 83 countries and regions, signing more than 480 exchange agreements and running 23 overseas Confucius Institutes all over the world.
The School of Chinese Language and Literature (SCLL) is an institution of teaching and research, focusing on the education of both Chinese and international students. The School was the first in the country to recruit and teach overseas students, and was also one of the earliest schools to provide under- and postgraduate programs teaching Chinese as a second language. SCLL boasts a team of qualified teachers of various disciplines with rich experience and professionalism. There are more than 70 full-time and nearly 60 part-time teachers, of whom 50 % are associate or full professors and 56% have a PhD degree. Most of the teachers have overseas working or teaching experience.
SCLL is a highly international school, made up of three parts, namely,Department of Chinese Language and Literature,Department of Chinese as Second Language,and Chinese Language Training Center. All the programs in the School are open to international students and students of Hanban’s the Confucius China Studies Program. SCLL provides a platform of cross-cultural exchange for international and Chinese students so that they can study in the same school and same classroom, strengthening their learning ability and cross-cultural communication skills. The School now has more than 1,300 students, of whom about 600 are native Chinese and more than 700 are from overseas.
Postgraduate Degree Programs for International Students
The School of Chinese Language and Literature has two PhD programs, namely, Comparative Literature and Cross-cultural Studies, and Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language; five MA programs, namely, Comparative Literature and World Literature, Chinese Ancient Literature, Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Chinese Language and Philology, and Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language.
Degree | Program | Core Courses |
PhD | Comparative Literature & Cross-cultural Studies | Comparative Literature, Chinese Literature Studies, Methodology of Chinese Literature Research, Buddhism and Chinese Literature, Silk Road and Sino-foreign Exchange, Studies of Historical Data on Sino-foreign Relations
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Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language | Theories and Methods of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, Theoretic Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Research on Second Language Acquisition, Studies on Academic Writing, Seminar on Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, Seminar on Key Elements in Chinese Teaching, Seminar on Chinese Grammar and Grammar Teaching | |
Language Policy Studies | Language Policy Studies, Language and Life | |
MA | Comparative Literature & World Literature | The Fundamentals of Comparative Literature, The Theory and Practice of Cultural Studies,Western Poetics and Literary Theory, Special Subjects of Ancient Chinese Literature,Studies of Western Literature, Folklore studies in China and Abroad, Translation Theory and Translation Studies, Study of Daoist Classics |
Ancient Chinese Literature | Documentology of Ancient Chinese Literature, Study of the Daoist Classics, Special Subjects of Ancient Chinese Literature, Ancient Chinese Poetics and Literary Theory, Poetry Study of Pre-Tang Dynasties, The Studies of Tang Poetry, Studies of Traditional Chinese Opera, Monographic Study on Ancient Chinese Novels | |
Linguistics & Applied Linguistics | The Study of Second Language Acquisition, Methodologies in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Intercultural Communication, Research on Grammar, Educational Psychology in Foreign Language Teaching, Theory and Practice of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, Language Policy Studies, Theoretical Linguistics:An Introduction | |
Chinese Language &Philology | History of Chinese Linguistics, Chinese Phonology, Chinese Characters, An Introduction to Chinese Linguistic Data, Semantics, A History of Chinese Grammar, Chinese Lexicology, Study on Special Subjects of Chinese Grammar | |
Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language | Chinese Comprehensive Basic Knowledge and Application, Research on Classroom Teaching in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, Second language Acquisition, Chinese Culture and Communication, Intercultural Communication | |
Theory of Literature and Art | Frontier Issues of Literature and Art Theory, Western Classical Poetics and Literary Theory, Ancient Chinese Poetics and Literary Theory, Western Critical Theory in 20th Century, Theories of the Novel, Chinese Modern and Contemporary Literary Trends, Philosophical Hermeneutics and Reception Theory, Western Marxism Literary Theory | |
Period of Study | MA: 3 years; PhD: 3-4 years | |
Tuition Fees (yuan) | 15,000/ semester 30,000/ school year(MA) 17,000/ semester 34,000/ school year(PhD) | |
Application Fee (yuan) | 800 | |
Application Deadline | June 10, each year | |
Start Time | Autumn | |
Qualifications for Admission | PhD Programs: 1. 18 years old or over; 2. Master’s degree; 3. Valid foreign passport; 4. HSK Level 6 result over 210. MA Programs: 1. 18 years old or over; 2. Bachelor’s degree; 3. Valid foreign passport; 4. HSK Level 6 result over 180. |
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Program Features
1.Course Design: Compulsory and selective courses, with some modules focusing on basic theories and others on practical application, aiming to produce quality inter-disciplinary and international personnel with high proficiency in the Chinese language and culture.
2.Learning Environment: International students from about 50 countries and regions, Chinese students from all over the country, studying in the same school and the same classroom; a highly international environment and a broad platform for cross-cultural exchange for enhancing the learning experience and cross-cultural communication skills.
3.System of Reward: Various awards for excellence in learning and character.
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Documents needed for application
1. Photocopy of the photo page of the passport
2. Three recent photos for passport
3. Application form
4. Guardian’s letter of guarantee
5. HSK result sheet
6. Academic results (photocopied)
7. Graduation certificate or diploma (photocopied)
8. Personal statement
9. Two recommendation letters
10. Resume
11. Interview
Undergraduate Degree Programs for International Students
The 4-year undergraduate programs of the School of Chinese Language and Literature aimto train qualified personnel with high proficiency in the Chinese language and culture, enrolling international students every spring and autumn. Now there are more than 400 undergraduate students in the School.
Introduced in 1992,SCLL’s undergraduate programs have seen a steady improvement in curriculum design, teaching methodology, syllabus planning, assessment system, course management, etc. Importance is attached not only to systematic learning, but also to the development of the students’ communicative competence. Five programs are available now, namely, Chinese Language, Literature and Culture, Business, Translation from and into Chinese, and Chinese Language Teaching—all based on Chinese language learning.
The School has long carried out cooperation with foreign universities in double-degree undergraduate education, in the forms of 2+2 (students studying in their home country for two years and in SCLL for another two years) and 3+1 (students studying in their home country for three years and in SCLL for one year), in which two degrees are conferred upon graduation, one by the home school and the other by SCLL. The School is running such projects in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; Kansai University, Japan; Daito Bunka University, Japan; Pusan University of Foreign Studies, Korea; the Woosong University, Korea, etc.
SCLL has cooperation with Malaysia and other south Asian countries in training teachers of Chinese. In 2007, BFSU signed the agreement with the Malaysian Ministry of Education and MARA Group to train teachers of Chinese, according to which outstanding senior high graduates are recruited to study in SCLL for five years, one year for preparatory course and four for undergraduate programs. So far altogether 421 Malaysian students have come in ten batches to study on the teacher-training scholarship, of whom 276 have already graduated. To promote the localization of Chinese-teaching personnel in south Asia, SCLL has undertaken the project of training teachers of Chinese for the south Asian countries under the Headquarters of Confucius Institute and Hanban. The first South Asian teacher-training class was open in September 2016, of which the students study for five years, one for preparatory course and four for the undergraduate program.
Up till now, over 2,000 international students have graduated from the School, who are now playing an active role all over the world in various fields such as education, culture, trade, diplomacy, etc., contributing to the cooperation and communication between China and other countries.
Undergraduate | Program | Core Courses |
Chinese Language
| Chinese Language | Comprehensive Chinese, Chinese Skills, Introduction to Chinese Language, Introduction to Chinese Language and Culture, Introduction to China, Cross-cultural Communication, Analysis of Grammatical Errors (Grammatical Studies of Modern Chinese), Lexical Studies of Modern Chinese , Chinese Pronunciation (Phonetic Studies of Modern Chinese) |
Literature & Culture | Comprehensive Chinese, Chinese Skills, Introduction to Chinese Language and Culture, Introduction to China, Selected Readings of Ancient Chinese Literature, Selected Readings of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature, Selected Readings of Famous Chinese Prose and Fiction, Studies of Comparative Literature, Studies of Chinese Folk Arts | |
Business | Comprehensive Chinese, Chinese Skills, Business Chinese, Business Writing, Market Promotion, International Trade, International Business Law, Electronic Business, Studies of Chinese Enterprises, Analysis of Chinese Economic Phenomenon | |
Translation from & into Chinese | Comprehensive Chinese, Chinese Skills, Introduction to Chinese Language, Introduction to Chinese Language and Culture, Introduction to China, Introduction to Translation, Introduction to Interpreting and Translation, Translation Theory, Business Interpreting and Translation, International Marketing, Cross-cultural Management | |
Chinese Teaching | Comprehensive Chinese, Chinese Skills, Introduction to Chinese Language, Methodology of Teaching Chinese, Classroom Observation and Practice, Educational Psychology, Chinese Characters and Characters Teaching, Lexical Studies of Modern Chinese, Analysis of Grammatical Errors (Studies of Modern Chinese Grammar | |
Period of Study | 4 years | |
Tuition Fees (yuan) | 13,000/ semester 26,000/school year 14,000/semester 28,000/school year (Chinese-Other Languages Translation) | |
Application Fee (yuan) | 800 | |
Application Deadline | Spring: January 10 Autumn: June 10 | |
Start Time | Spring/Autumn | |
Qualifications for Admission | 1. Senior high school diploma and foreign passport 2. HSK Level 4 result over 180 3. Passing the SCLL entrance examination (scheduled after the registration date of each semester) |
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Program Features
Program Selection: With no specialized courses in the first two years, the undergraduate students can choose a specialized program in their third year according to their interest from Chinese Language, Business, Literature and Culture, Chinese Language Teaching, etc.
Course Design: There are compulsory courses and selective courses; specialized and general optional courses; many courses of interest; and various foreign language courses, such as English, Japanese, Arabic, etc.
Fourth-year Field Trip:To broaden the students’ horizon, field trips to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, etc. are organized in the first semester of the fourth year so that they know more about the country and its cultural, political and economic conditions.
Graduation Thesis: Academic writing course is offered to the senior students, who will write their thesis under the guidance of their supervisors.
System of Reward: Opportunities are provided for excellent students to apply for various National and Confucius Institute scholarships. Moreover, SCLL also grants various awards for excellent students, monitors, graduation thesis, and full attendance.
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Documents needed for application
Photocopy of the photo page of the passport
Three recent photos for passport
Application form
Guardian’s letter of guarantee
HSK result sheet
Non-Degree Programs for International Students
Non-degree programs for international students include general, special and short-term courses, offering Chinese training lasting from one week to one year.
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General Training
General training programs for international students open at the beginning of spring and autumn semesters every year, with 18 weeks of classes each semester. The trainees are classified according to their Chinese proficiency into ten grades at basic, intermediate or advanced levels, catering for learners from zero to proficient level with a vocabulary over 8,000.Students are taught in small classes of about 15, focusing on training in listening and speaking. Every semester, the Chinese Training Center offers 2 to 3 compulsory courses and 20 selective courses for students of all levels.
General Training Program | Compulsory Courses | Selective Courses |
Courses | Comprehensive Chinese (Elementary), Spoken Chinese (Elementary),Basic Reading(Elementary),Comprehensive Chinese(Intermediate),Spoken Chinese (Intermediate),Reading and Writing(Intermediate),Comprehensive Chinese(Advanced),Spoken Chinese(Advanced),Reading and Writing(Advanced) | Skill courses (Chinese Characters, Pronunciation, Chinese Audio-visual Comprehension and Speaking, etc.); Culture courses (History, Literature, Culture, etc.); Specialized courses: (Business, Writing, etc.); Coaching for HSK tests of all levels |
Duration | Half a year (1 semester) 1 school year | |
Tuition Fees (yuan) | 12,000/ semester 24,000/ school year | |
Application Fees (yuan) | 800 | |
Application Deadline | Spring: January 10 Autumn: June 10 | |
Start Time | Spring / Autumn Semester | |
Requirements for Admission | 1. Senior high graduation or above 2. Passing the placement tests |
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Special Training Projects
In special training projects for international students, the training length, focus and organization are adjustable to meet different needs. SCLL has carried out the following projects: China-EU Junior Managers Training program, China-EU Legal Chinese Training Program, Chinese Language Training of EU Science and Technology Fellowship Program,Wharton-Lauder Chinese Language & Culture Immersion Program of Pennsylvania University, Business Chinese Training Program of the Deutscher Akademische Austausch Dient (DAAD),Chinese-Japanese Simultaneous Interpreting Training Program,MPS-BFSU Program for International Law Enforcement Liaison Officers, Rome Sapienza University Program, Chinese Summer Camp for Italian Convitto National High School, etc. Special training projects are tailored individually to meet the needs of the organizations, schools and individuals from different parts of the world.
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Short-term Training Courses
Short-term training courses last from one to eight weeks, open mostly during summer and winter vacations for international students who want to learn Chinese on their tour to China. Now there are about 20 short-term training classes each vacation. The practical training, with its flexible teaching methods and abundant cultural activities, has attracted international students of all ages and from all walks of life. We provide short-term Chinese language training on regular basis to students sent by well-known universities such as University of Pennsylvania, University of Louisville, Virginia Commonwealth University, Lancaster University, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, University of Passau, Daito Bunka University, Kobe University, Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, the University of Shimane, University of Bunkyo,Ochanomizu University, Asuwa High School,Koyo High School, Seoul National University, Hanyang University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Pusan National University.
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Program Features
The general training programs offer various types of courses with a comprehensive curriculum. The ten grades from zero to advanced level enable learners of different proficiency to improve their Chinese in a short period.
Specifically designed according to the requirements of the organizers and needs of the students, the special training projects incorporate special teaching and managing methods for the best result.
Over 20 selective courses are provided for students to choose from according to their individual needs.
Taking the advantage of BFSU’s strength in foreign language teaching, the School of Chinese Language and Literature cooperates with the students’ union in using its language pal platform, which enables international students to find a suitable pal for language practice. Besides, SCLL has several hundred native Chinese students studying as undergraduates, postgraduates and PhD candidates, who can provide tuition for learners of Chinese as most of them major in teaching Chinese as a second language.
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Documents needed for application
Photocopy of the photo page of the passport
Three recent photos for passport
Application form
Colorful Activities of Language and Social Practice
Each semester, the School organizes a rich variety of activities involving language and social practices on regular basis, which include:
Extracurricular and cultural activities: Talent Contest, Composition Contest, Debate Contest, Video-clip Contest, Fun Sports Meet, Movie Weekends, Chinese Corner, International Gourmet Festival, New Year Party, etc. are organized on regular basis, which provide opportunities for the students to improve their ability to communicate in Chinese. Many SCLL students have won awards in national contests or competitions held in Beijing.
Learning trips in Beijing:Students are also organized to visit places of historic interest in Beijing such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, etc. and to see performances such as Chinese kongfu, paper cutting and clay figurine making so that they can get first-hand experience of the Chinese culture.
Learning trips to other provinces: Trips are organized to Tianjin, Chengde, Shanghai, Xi’an, Qingdao, the Yellow Mountain in Anhui Province, Confucius’ hometown in Qufu of Shangdong Province, the Ancient Town of Pingyao in Shaanxi Province, etc., where the students meet the local people, visit factories, villages and places of historic interest, and watch various performances and exhibitions. Such activities not only serve as an extension of classroom learning but also further the students’ understanding of the Chinese society.
How to Apply
On-line application at
http://study.bfsu.edu.cn
Office of International Students
Beijing Foreign Studies University
Second Floor, Student Center, East Campus
2 North Xisanhuan Avenue, Haidian District, Beijing, China
Postal Code: 100089
Telephone:+86-10-88816549,88810671,88816424
Fax:+86-10-88812587
Website:http://lb.bfsu.edu.cn
Email Address:wsclxb@bfsu.edu.cn
Contact Information
School of Chinese Language and Literature
Beijing Foreign Studies University
2 North Xisanhuan Avenue, Haidian District, Beijing, China
Postal Code: 100089
Telephone: 86-10-88816438
Fax: 86-10-88818140
Website: http://iei.bfsu.edu.cn/
E-mail: zhongwen@bfsu.edu.cn