The Minzu University of China (MUC) is a

national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China. It is affiliated with the

National Ethnic Affairs Commission The National Ethnic Affairs Commission (NEAC), also called the State Ethnic Affairs Commission (SEAC), is a body under the leadership of the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party that is responsible ...

of China. The university is part of

Project 211 Project 211 ( zh, c=, links=no, s=211工程) was a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the government of China for "preparing approximately 100 universities for the 21st century", initiated in November 1995. There were 115 ...

Project 985 Project 985 () was a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the Chinese central government for creating world-class higher education institutions, initiated in May 1998. There were 39 universities selected to be part of this ...

, and the

Double First-Class Construction The World First-Class Universities and First-Class Academic Disciplines Construction (), together known as Double First-Class Construction (), is a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the Chinese central government, initiated ...

. Minzu University ranked first in China among universities for ethnic minority studies. 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. 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.

Name

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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

language

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

texts. On 20 November 2008, the university changed its official English name, 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 The Renmin University of China (RUC) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, Haidian, Beijing, China. The university is affiliated with the Ministry of Education (China), Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry of Education and ...

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 () has a

Hanyu pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means ' Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin'' literally ...

spelling similar to the English abbreviation "CUN". In mainland Chinese culture,

villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

have homely connotations.

Rankings

In 2001, the ''

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' ( zh, s=人民日报, p=Rénmín Rìbào) is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP in multiple lan ...

'' described CUN as "China's top academy for ethnic studies." Minzu University is ranked first by Shanghai Ranking in China among universities that originated as "ethnic minorities". 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. It also ranked 301-350th in Asia by the

QS Asia University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with ''Times Hig ...

and 271-280th among

BRICS BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The idea of a BRICS-like group can be traced back to Russian foreign ...

countries by the

QS BRICS University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with ''Times Hig ...

. 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 College and university rankings order higher education institutions based on various criteria, with factors differing depending on the specific ranking system. These rankings can be conducted at the national or international level, assessing inst ...

(CWUR), the RUR World University Rankings,

Scimago Institutions Rankings The SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR) since 2009 has published its international ranking of worldwide research institutions, the SIR World Report. The SIR World Report is the work of the SCImago Research Group,University Ranking by Academic Performance The University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) is a university ranking developed by the Informatics Institute of Middle East Technical University. Since 2010, it has been publishing annual national and global college and university ranking ...

History

The

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

first established a Nationalities Institute in its

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

stronghold of

Yan'an Yan'an; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi Province of China, province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several c ...

, in central China, in October 1941. In 1950-1952, this was merged with other ethnolinguistic and sociological departments, including elements of

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

and

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, 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 Constructio ...

. The result was the Central Institute for Nationalities, 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

as its campus. Both the Yan'an and Central institutes were intended to train cadres (officials) for ethnic minority areas, as well as providing a

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

education for promising students from the minorities. 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 The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

made conventional education almost impossible. In 1999, it was granted "key university" status, as part of

, 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

, a major national programme to raise 39 universities to world-class status. The campus has been almost completely reconstructed as part of this programme. Meanwhile, Haidian has continued to develop as

's main university district. CUN is now adjacent to the

National Library of China The National Library of China (NLC) is the national library of China, located in Haidian, Beijing, and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It contains over 41 million items as of December 2020. It holds the largest collection of Chine ...

and

Zhongguancun Zhongguancun ( Chinese: 中关村) is a major technology hub in the Haidian District, Beijing, China. Zhongguancun occupies a band between the northwestern Third Ring Road and the northwestern Fourth Ring Road in the northwestern part of Bei ...

, which local media refer to as "China's silicon valley." In 2006 a large site was acquired in Beijing's

Fengtai district Fengtai District ( zh, s=丰台区, p=Fēngtái Qū) is a district of the city of Beijing. It lies mostly to the southwest of the city center, extending into the city's southwestern suburbs beyond the 6th Ring Road, Sixth Ring Road, but also to th ...

, and it is likely that a second campus will be constructed there. ()

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 The Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges (), commonly abbreviated as the Gaokao (), is the annual nationally coordinated undergraduate admission exam in mainland China, held in early June. Despite the ...

(''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. 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. 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.

Notable students and faculty

Arken Abdulla Erkin Abdulla (; zh, s=艾尔肯·阿布都拉, t=艾爾肯·阿布都拉, p=Aiěrkěn Ābùdùlā; born July 8, 1978) is a Chinese musician of Uyghur ethnicity. His musical style bridges contemporary folk, Uyghur pop and flamenco. Biography ...

, Uyghur and Mandarin Chinese language pop singer-songwriter * Kahar Barat, Uyghur-American historianUyghur Historian Kahar Barat Discusses Xinjiang History, Part 1
an English translation of Kahar Barat's interview by

Wang Lixiong Wang Lixiong (, born 2 May 1953) is a Chinese writer and scholar, best known for his political prophecy fiction, ''Yellow Peril'', and for his writings on Tibet and provocative analysis of China's western region of Xinjiang. Wang is regarded as ...

. (The Chinese original
新疆的古代王朝与宗教转换
"The old kingdoms of Xinjiang and religious conversions") *

Fei Xiaotong Fei Xiaotong or Fei Hsiao-tung (November 2, 1910 – April 24, 2005) was a Chinese anthropologist and sociologist. He was a pioneering researcher and professor of sociology and anthropology; he was also noted for his studies in the study of ...

, sociologist and anthropologist *

D. O. Chaoke Dular Osor Chaoke (; born 1958) is a Chinese linguist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. His primary area of study is on the Tungusic languages, especially his native Evenki language. Personal life and education Chaoke was born in Nantun ( ...

, Evenki linguist *

Han Geng Han Geng (born February 9, 1984) is a Chinese Mandopop singer and actor. He started his career in 2001, when he was chosen by S.M. Entertainment to become a member of South Korean boy band Super Junior, which debuted in 2005. He later became ...

, Mandopop singer and actor *

Song Zuying Song Zuying (; born August 13, 1966) is a Chinese classical/folk singer. In 2006, she received a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Crossover Album for ''Song Zu Ying: The Diva Goes To The Movies'' at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. Early li ...

, an ethnic Miao singer of classical Chinese and Western songs, who performed at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony *

Ilham Tohti Ilham Tohti (Uyghur language, Uyghur: ئىلھام توختى; Chinese language, Chinese: 伊力哈木·土赫提; pinyin: ''Yīlìhāmù Tǔhètí''; born October 25, 1969) is a Uyghurs, Uyghur economist currently serving a life sentence in C ...

, an ethnic Uyghur, who was a professor of economics at Minzu University. He was detained by police in July 2009 following riots in Ürümqi () "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." In September 2014 he was sentenced to life in prison by the Urumqi People's Intermediate Court. *

Ulan Tuya Ulan Tuya (; born September 7, 1983, also known as Ulan Tuyo or Wulan Tuya) is a female Chinese singer and songwriter of Mongolian ethnicity. In 2014, she attended the 2014 CCTV Spring Festival Gala with her teacher, Ri-Na Wu, where they perfo ...

(born 1983), Chinese singer/songwriter *

Wu'erkaixi Uerkesh Davlet (; zh, 吾尔开希·多莱特), commonly known by his pinyin name Wu'er Kaixi, is a Chinese political commentator known for his leading role during the Tiananmen protests of 1989. Uerkesh achieved prominence while studying at B ...

, dissident, student leader of the 1989 Tiananmen protests *

Zhang Chengzhi Zhang Chengzhi (Xiao'erjing: , born 10 September 1948) is a contemporary Hui Chinese author. Often named as the most influential Muslim writer in China, his historical narrative '' History of the Soul'', about the rise of the Jahriyya () Sufi ...

, writer, once audited a class in Kazakh *

Kao Chin Su-mei Kao Chin Su-mei (traditional Chinese: 高金素梅; pinyin: ''Gāo Jīn Sùméi''; born September 21, 1965), also known as Chin Su-mei, May Chin and Ciwas Ali, is a Taiwanese politician and retired actress and singer. She is of Manchu and Ataya ...

Taiwanese Aborigine Taiwanese indigenous peoples, formerly called Taiwanese aborigines, are the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, with the nationally recognized subgroups numbering about 600,303 or 3% of the island's population. This total is increased to more than 80 ...

actress, singer and member for parliament in the

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...

of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

(

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

) for Highland Aborigines electoral district * Mi Na, contemporary artist

Notes

*''The Central University for Nationalities'' (undated, but c.2000). Beijing: CUN International Relations Office. A prospectus for Chinese and foreign students; the source for many of the dates and statistics in the first section.

References

External links

* {{authority control Project 211 Project 985 Plan 111 Universities and colleges established in 1941 Universities and colleges in Haidian District Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Beijing 1941 establishments in China Minzu Universities