Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) is the only international university in China with its main task set at teaching the Chinese language and culture to foreign students. Meanwhile it also undertakes the tasks of offering degree education to Chinese students in the fields of foreign languages, liberal arts and social sciences, of training teachers specialized in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, and of providing pre-departure language training to candidates intending to go abroad.

The undertaking of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language was started in the People ' s Republic of China in 1950s. After over ten years of hard work, the High Preparatory School for Foreign Students was established in June 1962. In 1964, it was renamed Beijing Language Institute. And then in 1996, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, the school was designated as Beijing Language and Culture University . In August of 2002, the Chinese name for Beijing Language and Culture University was abbreviated into Beijing Language University with the approval of the Ministry of Education.

Today, BLCU has developed into an internationally famous university with appropriate scope, distinctive educational features, advantageous key specialties and coordinated development of both language and culture education. Each year there are about 8,000 international students from more than 120 countries and 4,000 home students learning and studying here.

After 40 years of unremitting efforts, BLCU has set up a strong teaching faculty and made outstanding achievements in teaching and academic research. Of the more than 700 teachers and full-time researchers, 300 are professors or associate professors. 500 are the holders of the certificate for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, accounting for one-fourth of the total certificate holders in China .

For 40 years since its founding, with a singular multi-cultural environment. BLCU has been attracting numerous students from both home and abroad. It has trained some 60,000 international students from 167 countries and regions in the world. Now many of them have become leaders in varies fields in their own countries. Some become well-known diplomats, Chinese culture experts and journalists. Among them, 14 worked as ambassadors to China , and over 30 now work as ministers or councilors of their embassies in China . About 3,000 Chinese students have finished their undergraduate studies in the university and now work in the fields of diplomacy, foreign affairs management and education. In addition, of 30,000 students who have finished their short-term training in the Pre-departure Training Department, some of them have been the leaders and backbone of all fields and sectors all over China .

BLCU has formed conspicuous academic advantage in the fields of teaching Chinese as a foreign language and foreign languages education. In order to keep pace with the development of society and meet the needs of students, BLCU has made conscientious efforts to optimize its disciplines, update its specialties, create new fields and develop a rational and substantial curriculum. To this end a new discipline system has been set up, covering a wide range of subjects from Literature, Economics, Law to Engineering, history and Education, and granting bachelor, master and doctor degrees.