China Academy of Art (CAA)

Chinese art is considered the oldest continuous artistic tradition in the world. This ancient tradition has been transforming alongside China’s development. Since the early 2000s, the Chinese art market has become one of the fastest growing and most lucrative markets in the world, both for traditional and contemporary art. Students seeking a fine arts degree in China or wanting to study traditional Chinese arts should look no further than the China Academy of Art. The China Academy of Art offers a number of international programs, dual-degree programs, and funding opportunities for artists around the world.

The China Academy of Art was founded in Hangzhou in 1928 by May Fourth Movement intellectual Cai Yuanpei. Cai Yuanpei is also known for his tenure as President of Peking University and as the founder of Academia Sinica. Cai Yuanpei was one of the first Chinese scholars to seek a synthesis of Chinese and Western thought. The Academy’s first president, Lin Fengmian, advocated that this synthesis be realized through art. Students were encouraged to experiment with Western styles while remaining aware of Chinese themes. Today, China Academy of Art continues to uphold this ideology of artistic synthesis. The Academy promotes two “core academic concepts.” The first is to be “eclectic” and the second is “innovation derives from tradition.”

China Academy of Art has become the most prestigious center of artistic study in China. Their programs’ unique structure fosters a mix of practice and theory. Bachelors programs begin with one year of general education courses run by the Department of Foundation, followed by three years of core courses specific to the student’s major field of study. Graduate courses are mostly three year programs and include a mixture of studio work, theoretical research, and a mentorship program with a member of the faculty.

China Academy of Art offers a number of exciting opportunities for international students. Students wishing to study traditional Chinese arts can choose to major in Chinese calligraphy, or Chinese painting. Many of the academy’s other programs also include coursework in traditional Chinese arts. Many foreign students choose to enroll in the International Master of Fine Arts Program in Contemporary Art (IMFA). Students can apply to this program without having previously earned a bachelors and the program lasts five years, covering both bachelors-level and masters-level courses. Many students in the IMFA choose to continue studying at the Academy until earning a PhD. The IMFA curriculum is remarkably multi-cultural and has faculty and students from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. China Academy of Art is also home to the Chinesisch-Deutsche Künstakademie (CDK) which oversees three dual-degree MFA programs with universities in Germany. Students can choose to seek a dual-degree with either Universität der Künste Berlin, Hamburg Brand Academy, or the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences. All three programs have lecturers from China Academy of Art and the relevant German university.

International students at China Academy of Art have access to generous scholarship and funding. This includes the Chinese Government Scholarship (Type A), the Chinese Government Scholarship (Type B), the Zhejiang Provincial Government Scholarship for Foreign Students, the China Academy of Art Scholarship for Foreign Students, and the Chinese-American Government Scholarship. All of this funding is offered exclusively to foreign students and ensures that seeking an art degree in China is not a financial burden for any student.

China Academy of Art has three campuses. Two are located in Hangzhou: The Nanshan Campus (which is the main campus), and the Xiangshan Central Campus. The University has a third campus, the Zhangjiang Campus, located in downtown Shanghai.

China Academy of Arts offers international students a chance to study traditional Chinese arts, opportunities to seek dual-degree programs, and an IMFA program designed to give students an internationally-minded art degree. All programs fulfill Cai Yuanpei’s original vision of combining east with west, old with new, and theory with practice. All this combined with the generous funding provided to foreign students makes China Academy of Art an excellent choice for study in China.