Minzu University of China

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Minzu University of China
中央民族大学
Minzu University of China logo.png
Former names
The Central University for Nationalities
Motto美美与共，知行合一
Motto in English
Diversity in Unity, Theory in Practice [1]
Type National
Established1941;83 years ago (1941)
Affiliation National Ethnic Affairs Commission, UASR
Party Secretary Zhang Jingze
Academic staff
1,200
Administrative staff
1,991 (including academic staff)
Students15,800
Undergraduates 11,200
Postgraduates 4,600
Location
Beijing
,
China

39°56′54″N116°19′03″E / 39.94833°N 116.31750°E / 39.94833; 116.31750
CampusUrban
Website www.muc.edu.cn OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese 中央民族大学
Traditional Chinese 中央民族大學
Literal meaningCentral Ethnic Groups/Nationalities University
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Zhōngyāng Mínzú Dàxúe

The Minzu University of China (MUC) is a national public university in Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the National Ethnic Affairs Commission of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. [2] [3]

Contents

Minzu University ranked first in China among universities for ethnic minority studies. [4] It aims to be one of the best universities of its kind in the world for inheriting and promoting the excellent culture of all ethnic groups. [5] With the strong support of Chinese government, it has developed rapidly over the years. MUC is one of the most prestigious universities in China in ethnology, anthropology, ethnic economies, regional economics, religion studies, history, dance, and fine arts. [6]

Name

East gate of Minzu University of China in March 2017, showing both Chinese and English names of the university Minzu University of China (20170330115818).jpg
East gate of Minzu University of China in March 2017, showing both Chinese and English names of the university

The Chinese name has the meaning "central ethnic university", suggesting a national-level university focused on serving minority ethnic groups. The old English name translated the ethnic term as "nationalities", based on the term used in German and Russian language Marxist texts. On 20 November 2008, the university changed its official English name, [7] apparently citing concerns that "central" might imply a location in the geographical centre of China (as it does in South-Central University for Nationalities), and the old name did not sound good. The name change of Renmin University has been cited as a precedent. The new name obscures the university's ethnic character, although student opinion has focused more on the fact that it makes obsolete the university's nickname, "the village". The Chinese word for village (Chinese :村; pinyin :cūn) has a Hanyu pinyin spelling similar to the English abbreviation "CUN". In mainland Chinese culture, villages have homely connotations.[ citation needed ]

Rankings

University rankings
Global – Overall
CWUR World [8] 1988
RUR World [9] 938
USNWR Global [10] 1856
Regional – Overall
QS Asia [11] 301-350
QS BRICS [12] 271-280
National – Overall
BCUR National [13] 91
QS National [14] 90

In 2001, the People's Daily described CUN as "China's top academy for ethnic studies." [15] Minzu University is ranked first by Shanghai Ranking in China among universities that originated as "ethnic minorities". [16]

The university's emphasis on arts and humanities programs, particularly those majors related to ethnic minorities, has resulted in a relatively lower standing in global university rankings. [17]

It also ranked 301-350th in Asia by the QS Asia University Rankings [18] and 271-280th among BRICS countries by the QS BRICS University Rankings. [19]

Internationally, Minzu University of China was ranked amongst top 2000 in the world by U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking, the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), the RUR World University Rankings, Scimago Institutions Rankings and University Ranking by Academic Performance. [20] [17] [21] [22] [23]

History

Fengtai campus of MUC in the town of Wangzuo South gate of Minzu University of China, Fengtai Campus (20230911142308).jpg
Fengtai campus of MUC in the town of Wangzuo

The Chinese Communist Party first established a Nationalities Institute in its Civil War stronghold of Yan'an, in central China, in October 1941. In 1950-1952, this was merged with other ethnolinguistic and sociological departments, including elements of Peking University and Tsinghua University. The result was the Central Institute for Nationalities,[ citation needed ] which was established in 1951 and officially opened on 11 June 1952. The institute was assigned a large area of parkland on the outskirts of Beijing as its campus.[ citation needed ]

Both the Yan'an and Central institutes were intended to train cadres (officials) for ethnic minority areas, as well as providing a liberal arts education for promising students from the minorities.[ citation needed ] The cadres were to be trained so they could serve as liaisons between their minority communities and the Chinese government. Their research was and is intended to support the policies of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. In its early years, the institute was caught up in the sensitive issue of classifying China's vast population into official ethnic groups, until the Cultural Revolution made conventional education almost impossible.[ citation needed ]

In 1999, it was granted "key university" status,[ citation needed ] as part of Project 211, which was supposed to identify 100 Chinese universities that would play leading roles in the 21st century. Since 2004, the university has been a participant in Project 985, a major national programme to raise 39 universities to world-class status. The campus has been almost completely reconstructed as part of this programme.[ citation needed ]

Meanwhile, Haidian has continued to develop as Beijing's main university district. CUN is now adjacent to the National Library of China and Zhongguancun, which local media refer to as "China's silicon valley." [24] In 2006 a large site was acquired in Beijing's Fengtai district, and it is likely that a second campus will be constructed there. [25]

Admissions

To ensure that members of the 56 recognized minority groups are admitted the school has fixed quotas for each group. As of 2011, Minzu University accepts National Higher Education Entrance Examination (Gaokao) scores with a minimum in the mid-400s, or below the 50th percentile. Out of the Beijing universities, this has one of the lowest acceptance requirements.[ citation needed ]

In China a university may admit a student whose score is barely below the cutoff score at its discretion. Sometimes minimum score levels were lowered to ensure that students from among the least-accepted minority groups would be permitted entry. The school offers remedial courses, including a one-year tutorial course that reviews the final year of senior secondary school and remedial Chinese courses to assist minority students to enroll.[ citation needed ]

The university has bridging programs to select minority students at Chinese secondary schools who are high achieving so they can attend Minzu University to prepare them for entering the highest ranked universities in Beijing. The government pays tuition for these programs.[ citation needed ]

Notable students and faculty

See also

Other universities for ethnic minorities in the People's Republic of China:

Notes

Related Research Articles

Ethnic minorities in China are the non-Han population in the People's Republic of China (PRC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beijing Institute of Technology</span> Public university in Beijing, China

The Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xi'an Jiaotong University</span> Public Research University in Xian, Shaanxi, China

Xi'an Jiaotong University is a public university in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China Agricultural University</span> Public university in Beijing, China

China Agricultural University (CAU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. The university is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China. It is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.

Tohti Tunyaz, also known by the pen name Tohti Muzart, was an ethnic Uyghur historian and writer who graduated from the history department of the Central Institute of Nationalities, Beijing, in 1984 and was assigned to work for the China National Standing Committee. During this time he reportedly formed a close relationship with former Xinjiang governors Seyfuddin Eziz and Ismail Emet and was involved in the translation of Eziz's works. Tohti began studying for his PhD at Tokyo University's School of Humanities in Japan in 1995, specializing in Uyghur history and ethnic relations. He reportedly published several papers on Uyghur history in Japan and has published a book in Beijing. Tohti died on May 29, 2015, possibly of a heart attack.

A number of ethnic groups of the People's Republic of China are not officially recognized. Taken together, these groups would constitute the twentieth most populous ethnic group of China. Some scholars have estimated that there are over 200 distinct ethnic groups that inhabit China, compared to 56 groups that are officially recognized. There are in addition small distinct ethnic groups that have been classified as part of larger ethnic groups that are officially recognized. Some groups, like the Hui of Xinjiang with the Hui of Fujian, are geographically and culturally separate, except for the shared belief of Islam. Han Chinese, being the world's largest ethnic group, has a large diversity within it, such as in Gansu, whose Han individuals may have genetic traits from the assimilated Tangut civilization. Although they are indigenous to Hainan island and do not speak a Chinese language, the Lingao (Ong-Be) people near the capital are counted as Han Chinese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture</span> Autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang, China

Kizilsu Kyrgyz Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in western Xinjiang, China, bordering Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Its capital is Artux. The prefecture is home to 622,222 people and covers an area of 70,916 km2 (27,381 sq mi). Most Kyrgyz in China reside in Kizilsu; they make up a little over a quarter of the prefecture's population. The Uyghurs are the largest ethnic group in Kizilsu, consisting of nearly two-thirds of the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wujiaqu</span> County-level city in Xinjiang, China

Wujiaqu is a county-level city in the northern part of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Ürümqi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Minzu University</span> University in Lanzhou, China

Northwest Minzu University, formerly known as Northwest University for Nationalities, is the first minority institution of higher learning founded in China after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, directly under the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of PRC. The university is in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, and covers a land area of 474 acres (1.92 km2). It has two campuses: Northwest Xincun and Yuzhong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nur Bekri</span> Chinese politician

Nur Bekri is a Chinese former politician of Uyghur ethnicity, best known for his term as Chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region between 2008 and 2014. Between 2014 and 2018, he was vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission and Director of the National Energy Administration, with rank equivalent of a minister. Bekri was one of the highest ranked ethnic minority officials in the Chinese government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xinjiang University</span> Provincial public university in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China

Xinjiang University (XJU) is a provincial public comprehensive university in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China. It is a national key university affiliated with the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and co-funded by the Ministry of Education and the regional government. The university is part of Project 211 and the Double First-Class Construction.

Weigongcun area is an area of Haidian District, Beijing. It houses Minzu University of China, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Beijing Institute of Technology. It has restaurants from a wide variety of ethnic minorities. According to Minzu University anthropology professor Zhuang Kongshao, the area has been the Uyghur ghetto in Beijing since the Yuan Dynasty, when it was known as Weiwucun and was a local shopping area. The Qing scholar Qiao Songnian claimed in 1834 that the Uyghurs had been brought there by Yuan Taizu. The name Weigongcun is first recorded only in 1915, and removes any reference to Uyghurs. Others attribute the ethnic variety solely to the presence of CUN. Most of the Uyghur district was razed around 2001.

<i>Zhonghua minzu</i> Political term in modern Chinese nationalism

Zhonghua minzu is a political term in modern Chinese nationalism related to the concepts of nation-building, ethnicity, and race in the Chinese nationality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilham Tohti</span> Chinese economist and activist

Ilham Tohti is a Uyghur economist serving a life sentence in China, on separatism-related charges. He is a vocal advocate for the implementation of regional autonomy laws in China, was the host of Uyghur Online, a website founded in 2006 that discusses Uyghur issues, and is known for his research on Uyghur-Han relations. Ilham was summoned from his Beijing home and detained shortly after the July 2009 Ürümqi riots by the authorities because of his criticism of the Chinese government's policies toward Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Ilham was released on August 23 after international pressure and condemnation. He was arrested again in January 2014 and imprisoned after a two-day trial. For his work in the face of adversity he was awarded the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award (2014), the Martin Ennals Award (2016), the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize (2019), and the Sakharov Prize (2019). Ilham is viewed as a moderate and believes that Xinjiang should be granted autonomy according to democratic principles.

Kahar Barat is a Uyghur American historian known for his work on Buddhism and Islam in Xinjiang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xizang Minzu University</span> University in Xianyang, Shaanxi, China

Xizang Minzu University, also known as Tibet University for Nationalities, is a Chinese university established to educate ethnic minorities, specifically Tibetans. It is under the jurisdiction of Tibet Autonomous Region, but is physically located in the city of Xianyang in Shaanxi province, near the provincial capital Xi'an.

Uyghurs in Beijing are both first-generation Uyghurs who have arrived in Beijing and second-generation Uyghurs who perceive themselves as Beijingers.

North Minzu University is a Chinese university located at Yinchuan City, Ningxia Province, China. It is a comprehensive national institution of higher education which is affiliated to the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. The university is authorized to grant bachelor's, master's and doctor's degrees approved by the Academic Degree Commission of the State Council. NMU is the only university at the central ministry and commission level that is established in an autonomous region, located in Yinchuan, the capital city of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The university was founded in 1984 as Northwest Second Minzu University. In 2008, it was renamed to North Minzu University.

Local ethnic nationalism, simply local nationalism or local ethnic chauvinism refers to the tendency of minority nationalities to secede from China.

References

  1. ↑ "MUC Overview-MUC Office of International Relations". oir.muc.edu.cn. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  2. ↑ "教育部 财政部 国家发展改革委 关于公布世界一流大学和一流学科建设高校及建设 学科名单的通知 (Notice from the Ministry of Education and other national governmental departments announcing the list of double first class universities and disciplines)".
  3. ↑ "2022年中国985、211大学名单（最新完整版）". www.gk100.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  4. ↑ "ShanghaiRankings of Chinese National Universities". www.shanghairanking.com. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  5. ↑ "Minzu University of China Introduction". www.muc.edu.cn. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  6. ↑ "2020 China's best subject ranking". www.shanghairanking.cn. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  7. ↑ 中央民族大学关于启用新英文校名的通知. 中央民族大学桌报 (Minzu University of China Weekly) (in Chinese). 忠言民族大学校报编辑部. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-31.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Minzu University of China Ranking 2019-2020 - Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)" . Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "Minzu University of China Ranking 2023 - Round University Ranking" . Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "US News Best Global Universities Rankings 2024-2025" . Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  11. ↑ "QS University Rankings: Asia 2021". Top Universities.
  12. ↑ "QS University Rankings: BRICS 2019". Top Universities.
  13. ↑ "Overall Ranking, Best Chinese Universities Rankings - 2019". www.shanghairanking.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  14. ↑ "QS University Rankings - Minzu University of China". Top Universities.
  15. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  16. ↑ "ShanghaiRanking's Best Chinese Universities Ranking". www.shanghairanking.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  17. 1 2 "URAP - University Ranking by Academic Academic Performance". urapcenter.org. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  18. ↑ "Minzu University of China". Top Universities. 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  19. ↑ "QS University Rankings: BRICS 2019". Top Universities. 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  20. ↑ "Minzu University of China Rankings". US News & World Report. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  21. ↑ "Minzu University of China Ranking 2019-2020 - Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)". cwur.org. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  22. ↑ "University Rankings 2023". www.scimagoir.com. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  23. ↑ "World University Rankings". roundranking.com. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  24. ↑ "Zhongguancun Electronics Avenue". www.china.org.cn.
  25. ↑ 中央民族大学可能迁至丰台区校方尚未证实. People's Daily Online (in Chinese). 2006. Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2008-04-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) ()
  26. ↑ Uyghur Historian Kahar Barat Discusses Xinjiang History, Part 1, an English translation of Kahar Barat's interview by Wang Lixiong. (The Chinese original: 新疆的古代王朝与宗教转换, "The old kingdoms of Xinjiang and religious conversions")
  27. ↑ "Uygur scholar sentenced to life in prison for secession". China Daily. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2017. Ilham Tohti, a Uygur former economics professor at Beijing's Minzu University, was sentenced to life in prison for secession by a court in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on Tuesday.
  28. ↑ "China trial for Uighur academic Ilham Tohti". BBC News . 17 September 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  29. ↑ Phillips, Tom (11 October 2016). "Ilham Tohti, Uighur imprisoned for life by China, wins major human rights prize". The Guardian . Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  30. ↑ 安德烈 (7 March 2009). "伊力哈木土赫提：警惕把疆独问题扩大化的危险". Radio France Internationale . Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  31. ↑ "Outspoken Economist Presumed Detained". Radio Free Asia. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) () "According to his official biography, Tohti was born in Atush, Xinjiang, on Oct. 25, 1969. He graduated from the Northeast Normal University and the Economics School at the Central Nationalities University in Beijing."
  32. ↑ Gracie, Carrie (23 September 2014). "China jails prominent Uighur academic Ilham Tohti for life". BBC News . Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  33. ↑ "影响中国社科院博导的书籍 (Books which have influenced the professors at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)". Xinhua News Agency. 2004-03-15. Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2007-04-17.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) ()
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