Minzu University of China (MUC)

Minzu University of China is the home to 56 distinct ethnic groups, China is one of the most diverse nations on Earth. While the Han ethnicity make up 92% of the Chinese population, the other ethnicities are by no means small groups: the Zhuang people alone number 16.9 million. Minzu University of China was founded in 1941 to ensure that all 56 Chinese ethnicities have equal access to education. Today, it is the only university in China in which all 56 ethnic groups are represented in the faculty and student body. As such, Minzu University of China is one of the best places to study China in all its diversity.

Minzu University offers a broad range of degrees. Currently, the university lists 64 undergraduate degrees, 42 master’s, and 12 doctoral degrees. The school’s most outstanding programs are in anthropology, ethnography, minority languages and literature, and ethnic dance. Even in programs not directly linked to minority studies, courses are often taught with reference to China’s ethnicities and framed from the perspective of a minority group. For instance, biology classes are taught on the flora and fauna of minority areas.

Minzu University of China’s campus is in the university neighborhood of Beijing’s Haidian District. The campus is walking distance from Beijing’s other prominent universities such as Tsinghua and BFSU. The campus culture is lively and diverse. The University of Alberta professor Reza Hasmath described the campus as a place which “provides a level of acceptance that encourages students to promote their ethnic identity” With students who are “more aware of their ethnic identity and engaged more with their ethnic culture than at any other juncture of their lives.”

Every year about 800 international students from over 40 countries study at Minzu University. As a Key University and a member of Project 211 and Project 985, Minzu University is well equipped to support these international students and offers generous funding.

International students interested in exploring the depth and breadth of China’s ethnological and linguistic makeup should consider studying at Minzu University of China. The school offers a unique chance to study the culture, history, and languages of China’s 56 ethnicities.