Guangxi University for Nationalities was founded in March in 1952, when it was named as Guangxi Institute and was subordinated to the former Central College for Nationalities (now Central University for Nationalities). In 1953, Guangxi Institute was renamed as Guangxi Provincial Institute for Nationalities, and in 1958 its name was changed again as Guangxi College for Nationalities. It was on the day of 14th in April of 2006, the present name Guangxi University for Nationalities was authorized by Ministry of Education of China. The university is under the leadership of both the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of PRC and People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and it is the main ethnic university of higher education in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to be built during “the 11th Five Year Plan”.
Party and state leaders of China have cared much about the development of the university. In 1958 Chairman Mao gave an interview to the teachers and students of various ethnic groups of the university in People’s Park in Nanning; in November in 1990, former Party Secretary Jiang Zeming, escorted by Wen Jiabao and other leaders of the state, made an inspection of the university, praising highly the achievements of the college education and the campus environment. In March of 2001, during his visit to Southeast Asian countries, Hu Jingtao gave an interview warmly to some of the teachers and students working or studying in Vietnam and Laos. There were other Party and state leaders visiting and inspecting the university, including Zhu De, Chen Yi, Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Seypidin Ezizi, Li Tieying, Wei Jianxing, Ismail Amet, Li Zhaozhuo, Chen Zhili and so on.
Under the correct leadership of the Party and state government, remarkable achievements have been gained since the founding of the university and especially since the reforming and opening of China. In the year 1993 an honorable title of “Advanced Higher Education Institution in Party Construction and Political Work” was awarded by Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee and State Education Commission; in 2005 the title of “Civilized Unit in China” was granted by Spiritual Civilization Building Committee of the CPC. Furthermore, the university was given the name of “Model Unit in Promoting the Unity and Development of Ethnic Groups” for two times by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, and for many times by People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Besides, the university passed the eligibility evaluation for undergraduate student education by Ministry of Education of PRC in 1998 and also in 2003, and the latter year saw a good pass of the eligibility evaluation.
Located beside beautiful Xiangsi Lake in Nanning, the campus of the university occupies 1,983 mu with total 368, 836 sq.m. architecture area. The rate of green coverage reaches to 58% in the old campus, for which the university was granted “China’s Model Unit of Green Unit”. Apart from the beautiful scenery, the university is sufficient in teaching facilities, with teaching apparatus valuing totally 76,150,000 Chinese yuan, with 1,160,000 books and reference materials, and with 980,000 electronic books and materials. In regard to discipline construction, there are 16 colleges with 50 undergraduate majors, and there are 2 first-level disciplines and 40 second-level disciplines authorized to grant Master’s Degree. In addition, the university has 1 undergraduate education centre of national level, 1 talents training centre of provincial level, 2 main research centre of humanities and social science and 1 key lab, also at the provincial level.
Moreover, the university is also confirmed by The Office of Chinese Language Council International as one of the ten “China’s Key Universities Helping Teaching Chinese in the Surrounding Countries”, and the test centers both for TCFL (Certifying Teachers’ Ability to Teach Chinese as a Foreign Language) and HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test). Besides, the university is appointed by Ministry of Education as Executive School of the Training Program in China for overseas Chinese Teachers. Since 1997, there have been over 1,300 examinees from 41 countries taking parting in HSK, and 120 Chinese teachers from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand trained in the centre.
At present in the university, there are 722 postgraduate students, 12,281 undergraduate students, 1,218 junior college students, 10,235 correspondence college students, 1,010 students in preparatory course and 379 international students. About teachers, 717 are full time teachers, including 104 professors and 217 associate professors. Those with degrees above master’s level amount to 307, covering 42.8% of the total number of the teachers, some of whom are well-known experts and scholars in China and abroad.
In the university’s research field, more than 25,000,000 yuan was used in scientific research during “the 10th Five Year Plan” and a prominent achievement has been gained with more and more high-level research programs established: 31 programs of national level and 101 of provincial level. Also during the period, 174 works were published and 3,600 research papers appeared in academic journal at home and abroad, among which 81 were republished in SCI, EI, and ISTP. As a result, 219 research awards of various levels gained, including 123 above provincial level. What should be especially mentioned is Journal of Guangxi University for Nationalities (Philosophy and Social Science Edition), which is one of the Chinese 100 Excellent Periodicals and which has had some influence both in China and abroad. One of the highlights of the journal is the Anthropology Column, which was named Excellent-Constructed Column in 2004 by Ministry of Education of PRC. The journal was also on the list of “Famous Journal of China” by Ministry of Education of PRC in 2006.
The university has been communicating frequently with other universities and research institutions. Now cooperation relations exist well between the university and Soochow University Sun Yat-Sen University, Renmin University of China, and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and so on. Cooperation agreements have also been signed with 57 universities and academic institutes of 11 countries, and students have been exchanged between the university and those of the foreign countries and regions, with up to now 3,000 foreign students having come to the university and 1,600 students of the university having been abroad. In April of 2006, Confucius Institute run with a joint effort of the university and Mahasarakham University of Thailand was ratified by Han Ban of China.
Guangxi University for Nationalities has achieved well since its establishment. 90,000 ethnic cadres and various people with professional skills have graduated from the university, some of whom have become well-known professors, experts, scholars, writers, poets and Party and state leaders.
Guided by the idea of “Three Representatives” of Deng Xiaoping and other educational and ethnical policies of the Party, the university aims high in its future development. Based on its education nature of serving for ethnic groups, the university will still focus on undergraduate education and at the same time do its best to develop postgraduate education, stressing its “ethnic, local and international” characteristics. In this way, the university will step on the way of becoming a high level comprehensive university of teaching and researching and an influential university in China and Southeast Asia.