Beijing International Studies University (BISU; ; ) is a municipal public college of foreign languages in Chaoyang, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the City of Beijing, and co-funded by the Beijing Municipal People's Government and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

History The history of Beijing International Studies University dates back to the 1950s, when People's Republic of China started to gain international recognition and the need emerged for proficient foreign language speakers. In the early 1960s, after completing the 14-country state visit, the then-Premier Zhou Enlai initiated the Seven-Year Plan for Foreign Language Education and proposed to establish the Beijing Second Foreign Languages Institute, now known as the Beijing International Studies University. The whole founding process was under the supervision of Zhou.

Origins

It was proposed by the then Premier Zhou Enlai to the State Council and the establishment of Beijing International Studies University was given the highest priority. A report for the establishment of BISU was subsequently presented and approved at the State Council in March and later in August, the land where the university has maintained the presence of its main site was granted. The first 646 students enrolled in September and the Establishment Ceremony was held on 24 October 1964. The university anniversary has been celebrated on that day ever since.

Development The original curriculum framework of the university was built upon its core units in foreign languages, in addition to Chinese literature, arts and philosophy, international/domestic relations, political economy and physical education. It offered degree programs for 14 foreign languages, including English, French, Spanish, Arabic, German, Japanese, Albanian, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, Czech, Bulgarian, Serbian and Vietnamese. Affiliated with the Commission for Cultural Relations of Foreign Countries—the predecessor of today's Culture Ministry—the university underwent rapid growth until 1966, when the Cultural Revolution started. The university then changed administration several times over this period, successively administered by the Foreign Ministry (1968), the Beijing Government (1971), the Ministry of Education (1978) and the National Tourism Administration (1983).

In 1981, the report jointly submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade and the university was approved at the Education Ministry; the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was established at BISU. Concurrently, in the same year, the National Tourism Administration set up the major of tourism management in BISU, making it the earliest shaper of Chinese tourism education. During the 1980s and 1990s, Beijing International Studies University, also known as the China Tourism Institute, prevailed in both teaching and research and was recognized as one of the foremost tertiary institutions for tourism studies.

2003–present

Until 2003, BISU was known in English as Beijing Second Foreign Language University; the name changed to reflect the increasing diversity of programs offered by the university. Its multi-disciplinary academic structure has been established since the 1990s and 2000s, best known for its business administration programs and foreign languages programs. The university now offers language courses in English, Japanese, German, Russian, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Korean and Chinese as a foreign language for international students. It is one of the first authorized HSK test centers based in Beijing, and has been recognized as one of Beijing's best universities for Chinese study.

In 2003, BISU established their school colors and visual identity; this was updated in 2009.

In 2013, the university engaged in a major academic restructuring within its Business and Economics disciplines. In July, the former School of Tourism Management was dissolved, with Departments of Tourism Management and Hotel Management promoted to independent Schools, Departments of Marketing and Financial Management combined to form the School of International Business, and the Department of Event Management merged into the School of Economics and Trade. The move was part of the Twelfth Five-Year Plan of the university, intending to endorse greater academic autonomy, take advantage of its heritage in tourism-related subjects and thus to effectively position itself in respond to the changes in the marketplace.

Timeline

1964–1966: Humble beginnings

More detailed historical information is available in interviews with the first academic staff members of BISU. The interview program is part of the Anniversary initiatives Oral History. To read the full transcripts (in Chinese), see Interview with Wang Wenjiong (13 October 2011), Interview with Lei Wen (14 October 2011) and Interview with Guan Kefeng (14 October 2011).

1966–1976: Dark times

1977–1990: Post-Revolution recovery

1991–2000: Strategic redirection

2001–2010: New millennium

What's new

Campus

BISU's main site is located in Chaoyang District, comprising three continuous campuses within walking distance of each other. It houses the main teaching facilities and student amenities, and benefits from excellent public transport links with access to metro subway line 6 and 8T. The university also maintains facilities in other parts of the city. It owns an independently run Hospitality Institute in Daxing and has two branch colleges, one at the boundary between Fengtai and Haidian Districts, and one on the outskirts between the inner city and the County of Miyun. In addition, a new site is projected to be built in Tongzhou from 2013.

Main Campus

BISU's central campus occupies a 55.2-acre (223,334 m3) site in the vicinity of the Guomao neighbourhood, about 5 miles (8.8 km) east of the Central CBD. It neighbours the Communication University of China from the West Gate and has two main entrances on Jianguo Road (South Entrance) and Chaoyang Road (North Entrance), both with bus stops located within walking distance.

The campus is featured by a mixture of contemporary and antique architecture which is naturally integrated into the landscape. While situated in the urban area, it is honored Garden Campus and has maintained this title since 1994. In 1997, it was named the city's Model Campus.

The central campus boasts five major teaching buildings and four auditoriums, six student halls of residence, a comprehensive learning hub and the university library. Full meals and light fare are available at two dining halls and five specialty restaurants, in addition to three corner stores offering snacks and drinks. Vending machines are on the ground floor of the International Lodge. In addition, it contains most of the sports facilities, including an outdoor stadium with two volleyball courts and six basketball courts, an indoor gymnasium, four tennis courts and an aquatic center. Other amenities include a supermarket, two copy shops, a book store and a post office. A pharmacy and an ICBC bank branch are located at the North Entrance, opposite to the Tian-Ke-Long shopping mall on the other side of the road. The university press Tourism Education Press headquarter office is also located nearby.

The northern campus houses the School of Continuing Education and the Study Abroad Resource Center. The Yi-Shui-Fang-Yuan campus in the south is the new residential area developed in 2011. Separated by the Jingtong Expressway from the central campus, it is centered on a peaceful site along the Tonghui River and provides housing facilities for most of the undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Tongzhou Campus

In 2013, a branch campus is expected to be built in Tongzhou District, the new City Sub-Center of Beijing. The university president, Zhou Lie, disclosed in January that the new site would be located in Lucheng, neighbouring the east campus of Renmin University and Peking Union Medical College, with only a 20-minute drive to the central campus.

As of March 2013, the university has held conferences and seminars on feasibility analysis of the project, with regard to the 2013—2020 Outline of National Tourism and Leisure released by the State Council in February.

Academics

Structure

A Discipline in the Beijing International Studies University is a broad administrative concept for categorising related academic units. The disciplinary divisions usually differentiate the degrees awarded. Currently, the academic system of Beijing International Studies University is made up of four disciplines: Arts (languages, literature, cultural studies and philosophy), Business Administration, Economics Sciences and Law and Political Sciences.

Teaching and research at BISU is organized by departments, schools and institutes. Schools may establish subsidiary departments and other subordinate institutions because of the organisational history or operational needs. Institutes are graduate schools that conduct research projects aside of the course plan, usually in collaboration with the municipality government or national institutes (otherwise graduate schools are affiliated to schools and departments themselves). In addition, there are supporting entities for teaching and research, including six teaching and research offices for compulsory subjects, the University Press, and the University Library.

As of 2013, there are about 50 departments, schools and other institutions running the four disciplines of the university. The major academic units are:

School of English Language, Literature and Culture School of Japanese Language, Literature and Culture School of Arabic Language, Literature and Culture School of Western European Languages School of Central European Languages School of Oriental Languages School of Interpreting and Translation Russian Department School of Tourism Management School of Hospitality Management School of Economics, Trade and Event Management School of Arts and Humanities School of Chinese School of Marxism School of English Education International School of Business International School of Law School of International Communication Institute of International Relations School of Non-common Languages School of Continuing Education School of General Education

Organisations

Institute of Tourism Development Founded in 1984, the Research Institute of Tourism Development is one of the oldest and foremost intelligence units in the field of tourism development planning in China.

Equipped with its three research affiliates, i.e. Center for Strategic Planning, Center for Theoretical Research and Center for Industry Consulting, the Institute cooperates extensively with the National Tourism Administration, local authorities and key industry players, contributing to around 20 provincial and municipal industry development projects including those of the renowned tourism cities of Sanya, Haikou and Zhangjiagang, in addition to more than 50 executive and feasibility reports on national resorts districts, national nature reserve areas and ecotourism destinations, such as the Lake Tai Resort in Suzhou, the Changbai Mountains Natural Reserve in Jilin, and the Pagsum Lake Ecotourism Area in Tibet.

In 1998, the institute became part of the National Database for Tourism Management; since 1999, authorized by the Education Ministry, it starts to provide postgraduate coursework and research programs for Tourism Management, with research directions on theory-based strategic study of the operational mechanisms and policy-making within tourism sectors, and on practice-led tourism planning and development projects, integrating theories from business management, science, sociology and architecture. The institute maintains strong links with China Tourism Academy and leading enterprises within the industry.

Institute for Transcultural Studies