Wuhan University

Wuhan University (WHU) is a comprehensive and key national university directly under the administration of the Ministry of Education. It is also one of the "211 Project" and "985 Project"universities with full support in the construction and development from the central and local government of China.

The history of Wuhan University can be traced back to Ziqiang Institute, which was founded in 1893 by Zhang Zhidong, the then governor of Hubei Province and Hunan Province in the late Qing Dynasty. In the process of development and evolution, the institute changed its name several times before it was finally named Wuhan National University in 1928. It is one of the earliest comprehensive national universities in modern China. By the end of 1946, the university had established 6 colleges, the colleges of liberal art, law, sciences, engineering, agriculture and medicine. In 2000, an amalgamation of the former Wuhan University, Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electric Engineering, Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping, and Hubei Medical University was announced, which ushered in a new era in its 100-odd years of development.

For the past century, Wuhan University has built an elegant palatial architectural complex of primitive simplicity which blends perfectly the eastern architectural style with that of the west. It is honored as the "Most Beautiful University in China." Furthermore, Wuhan University's centennial humanistic accumulation boils down to its succinct motto, that is, "Self-improvement, Perseverance, Truth-seeking & Innovation."

Since its establishment, Wuhan University has cultivated more than 300 thousand professional talents in various occupations, among whom there are over 100 members of the Chinese Academy of Science and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. They have made great contribution to the national construction and social advancement. The remarkable achievements of Wuhan University have won itself an extensive international reputation. In 1999, the world renowned journal Science listed Wuhan University as one of the most prominent institutions of higher education in China.

Burgeoning are the international exchanges and cooperation of Wuhan University in recent years. It has established cooperative relationship with more than 415 universities and research institutes in over 45 countries and regions.

Now Wuhan University is endeavoring to shape itself into a world-class comprehensive research university domestically and internationally.

Wuhan University has a long history of international students’ education. Since 1950s, it had begun to enroll oversea students. It is one of the earliest universities to recruit foreign students. In 2016, Wuhan University has more than 3500 international students, covering 200 majors in 30 schools (departments, research centers), and now it has developed gradually into the biggest international students’ destination in central and western China.

Integrating international education resources within the university, School of International Education(SIE) was set up in October 2014 to further enhance the University’s internationalization, responsible for international students’ enrollment and cultivation, education and research on teaching Chinese as a foreign language, studying abroad education and the above-related daily administration. The school also takes in charge of Center of Teaching Resources Research and Development for International Promotion of Chinese.

School of International Education of Wuhan University is one of the first members to have passed the certification of studying abroad in China. It is the attestation center of TCSOL & TCFL, the studying abroad training base of Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, one of the centers of HSK examination, BCT examination and the qualification examination for the teachers teaching Chinese to foreigners in China. The school has three teaching and research teams which are Chinese, foreign languages and economics & law, plus one research institute in TCSOL. The school offers undergraduate program of Chinese Language, master program of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages for international students, and Master program of International Law (WTO international trade Constitution), WTO double degree, English and French overseas training programs for domestic students.

During the service in international education, research, management and administration, SIE has accumulated abundant teaching experience, management experience and research outcomes. There are 48 full-time teachers, among which 33 are TCFL teachers. In all the 33 TCFL teachers, there are 5 professors and 10 associate professors----senior level faculty takes about 45.5%; and 26 (78.8%) have got a PhD degree or are in the process of studying for one; there are 25 (up to 81%) have got the qualification certificates issued by the Ministry of Education for teaching Chinese language to foreigners; including 14 members of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching. In addition to the above full-time teachers, the school have also recruited more than 10 part-time teachers and many academicians in Chinese language teaching.