The Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA), stands as one of the earliest independently established and continuously operating institutions for higher art education in China, with a history spanning over a century. It is a university jointly established by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and the People’s Government of Jiangsu Province, and a university included in Jiangsu Province’s High-Level University Development Plan, with its comprehensive strength in artistic disciplines consistently ranking among the top among universities nationwide.

In 1912, Mr. Liu Haisu, a pioneer of China’s New Art Movement and the founder of modern art education, established the Shanghai Art School (renamed Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts in 1930). In 1922, Mr. Yan Wenliang founded the Suzhou Fine Arts College. In 1952, during the nationwide restructuring of higher education institutions, the art and music departments of Shandong University were merged with the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and Suzhou Fine Arts College to establish the East China Arts College in Sheqiao, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The merger was completed on December 8th, and this date has since been celebrated as the anniversary day of NUA. In 1958, the East China Arts College relocated to Dingjiaqiao in Nanjing and was renamed Nanjing Arts College in the same year. In 1959, it was upgraded to a university and further renamed Nanjing University of the Arts. In 1967, it moved to 15 North Huju Road, Nanjing. In 1978, it was authorized as one of the first institutions nationwide to enroll master’s degree students. In 1986, it was granted the authority to confer doctoral degrees. After over a century of construction and development, NUA has advanced in sync with the times, thriving amidst challenges and difficulties, and has established itself as a comprehensive and influential institution of higher art education, both domestically and internationally.

NUA currently comprises 16 schools, including the School of Fine Arts and Calligraphy, the School of Music, the School of Design, the School of Drama and Film Studies, the School of Dance, the School of Media Arts and Communication, the School of Modern Music and Technology, the School of Industrial Design, the School of Humanities and Museum Studies (Art Research Institute), the School of Cultural Industries, the School of Digital Arts, the School of Higher Vocational Education and Continue Education, the School of International Education, the School of Marxism, the Affiliated Secondary School of NUA, and the Department of Physical Education. Specifically, NUA offers 43 undergraduate programs, including Art History and Theory, Arts Management, Music Performance, Musicology, Composition and Composition Technology Theory, Dance Performance, Dance Studies, Choreography, Dance Education, Popular Music, Acting, Drama and Film & TV Literature, Radio and Television Editing and Directing, Drama and Film & TV Directing, Drama and Film & TV Art Design, Recording Art, Broadcasting and Hosting Art, Animation, Film and Television Photography and Production, Fine Arts, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Calligraphy, Traditional Chinese Painting, Cultural Relics Protection and Restoration, Art Design, Visual Communication Design, Environmental Design, Product Design, Fashion and Costume Design, Public Art, Arts and Crafts, Digital Media Art, Art and Technology, Advertising, Art Education, Cultural Industry Management, Arts Management, Music Education, Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection, Intelligent Interaction Design, and Musical Theatre.

Currently, NUA boasts a total enrollment of over 12,000 students and a faculty and staff exceeding 1,150. Over 760 faculty members serve in a full-time capacity, with more than 330 holding intermediate and senior professional titles. NUA also counts over 60 doctoral supervisors and more than 200 master’s supervisors among its distinguished academic staff. Additionally, NUA has engaged over a hundred visiting and part-time professors from both domestic and international backgrounds. Among them, there is one individual recognized by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China as a member of the “Four Batches” talent program, one individual honored as the “artist with outstanding moral and artistic accomplishments nationwide”, one B-class leading figure included in the national major talent program, one distinguished professor appointed as a “Changjiang Scholar” by the Ministry of Education, along with two designated as “Young Changjiang Scholars”. Moreover, one outstanding young and middle-aged expert has been selected for the “National Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Talent Project”, two individuals have been recognized as “New Century Excellent Talents” by the Ministry of Education, two young outstanding talents have been included in the “Ten Thousand People Project” by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, and three individuals have been appointed as members of the disciplinary evaluation group of the 8th State Council Academic Degrees Committee, along with one serving as the convener. Additionally, there are seven members and two deputy directors of the Ministry of Education’s Steering Committee for Guidance in Teaching, one member of the first National Higher Education Fine Arts Education Teaching Guidance Committee, one national outstanding teacher, and one outstanding expert recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. What’s more, two individuals were honored with the “Jiangsu Purple Culture Medal”, four were recognized as the “artists with outstanding moral and artistic accomplishments of Jiangsu Province”, nine young and middle-aged experts were acknowledged for their outstanding contributions in Jiangsu Province, five individuals were included in the “Five Batches” Talents program in Jiangsu Province, and over a hundred people were selected for various provincial programs such as the “333 Project”, “Qinglan Project”, “Six Talent Peaks Project”, “Social Science and Humanities Prominent Talents and Outstanding Youth”, and “Purple Culture Creative Talents and Outstanding Youth”.

NUA possesses 5 centers for postdoctoral studies, 2 centers for granting first-level discipline doctoral and master’s degrees, 4 centers for granting professional doctoral degrees, and 5 centers for granting professional master’s degrees. In the fifth round of the discipline assessment organized by the Ministry of Education, 80% of the disciplines offered at NUA have entered the A category, with traditional advantageous disciplines achieving significant breakthroughs. For six consecutive years, NUA has been ranked at the top of the Wu Shulian Chinese University Rankings by Discipline (Art Studies). In terms of collaboration efforts, NUA established the Center for the Study and Creation of Art under the Context of Localization and Modernization of Marxism in China and the first Marxist Reading Center among universities nationwide in collaboration with the Central Compilation and Translation Press, the Center for Art and Science Innovation and Research with the University of Science and Technology of China, the Institute for Metaverse Art and Design with Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, the Center For Digital Cultural and Creative Development with Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and the Laboratory for Auditory Perception and Audio-Visual Fusion with the China Media Group. In the past five years, NUA has been honored with 3 awards for outstanding achievements in scientific research from the Ministry of Education and 20 awards for outstanding achievements in philosophy and social sciences from Jiangsu Province; a total of 26 national-level research projects have been approved, including 3 projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China (NSSFC) and 5 major NSSFC projects in the field of art studies (elevating the cumulative total to 7 projects), along with 18 general projects; 5 research projects have been approved by the Ministry of Education in the field of humanities and social sciences, 21 projects obtained approval from other central government departments in the field of social sciences, and 41 projects were supported by provincial-level social science funds. NUA has had a number of research institutions approved as provincial-level bases for philosophical and social science research. Additionally, several research teams have been recognized as provincial-level outstanding innovation teams. The “Journal of Nanjing University of the Arts (Fine Arts and Design)” has been selected as a source journal in the CSSCI (Chinese Social Science Citation Index) and a national core Chinese journal, while the “Journal of Nanjing University of the Arts (Music and Performance)” has been included in the national core Chinese journals.

NUA’s “Construction and Practice of Talent Cultivation Model in Fine Arts” received the second prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award in Higher Education (Undergraduate), while “Integration of Arts and Sciences for Collaborative Education: Exploration and Practice of Talent Cultivation Model Driven by Digital Technology in Innovative Design” was awarded the second prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award in Higher Education (Graduate). The courses of “Traditional Chinese Painting Techniques”, “Oil Painting Techniques”, and “Chinese Fine Art History” are recognized as nationally distinguished resources for sharing. A total of 24 majors, including Traditional Chinese Painting, Visual Communication Design, Product Design, Art Design, Fine Arts, Painting, Dance Studies, Animation, Art History and Theory, Musicology, Environmental Design, Arts and Crafts, Radio and Television Editing and Directing, Digital Media Art, Film and Television Literature, Calligraphy, Composition and Composition Technology Theory, Dance Performance, Film and Television Photography and Production, Sculpture, Fashion and Costume Design, Public Art, Art and Technology, and Cultural Industry Management have been selected as national first-class undergraduate programs, ranking second among art institutions nationwide. The majors of Animation, Art Design, Painting, Musicology, and Acting have been selected as national-level characteristic programs. The major of Product Design has been recognized as an industry-education collaboration brand program of Jiangsu Province. The majors of Music Performance and Art Design have been appraised as brand programs for cultivating international talents among universities in Jiangsu Province. Thirteen courses, including “Dance Critique”, “Selected Readings of Ancient Literature”, “Chinese Fine Art History”, “Design Fundamental 4”, “Acting Class - Basic Element Training”, “Lacquer Materials and Techniques”, “History of Chinese and Foreign Films”, “Ethnic Dance Studies 1”, “Principles of Art Studies”, “Guzheng Solo Performance”, “Visual Representation”, “Service Design”, and “Research on Traditional Chinese Wisdom in Design Creation”, have been selected as national-level first-class undergraduate courses. Three courses, including “Product Human-Computer Interaction and Experimentation”, “Practical Application of Theatrical Productions”, and “Visual Representation”, have been selected as provincial-level first-class courses of industry-education collaboration. The major of Art Design and the discipline of Fine Arts have been established as innovative talent cultivation experimental programs within national higher education institutions. The Digital Media Art Experimental Teaching Center has been recognized as a national-level demonstration center for experimental teaching. Furthermore, NUA has two Jiangsu provincial key university laboratories, namely the Art Materials and Techniques Laboratory and the Cultural Creativity and Integrated Design Laboratory, as well as eight provincial experimental teaching and practical education centers including the Handicraft Course Experimental Teaching Laboratory, Digital Audio Teaching Laboratory, Print Art Experimental Teaching Center, Film and Television Production Experimental Teaching Center, Industrial Design Experimental Teaching Center, Modern Sculpture Comprehensive Material Experimental Teaching Center, Virtual Reality Art Practice Education Center, and Cross-Disciplinary Comprehensive Training Center for Media Arts. The team responsible for the development of the fine arts program has been rated as a provincial-level outstanding grassroots teaching organization among Jiangsu universities. The works of “Graduation Project (Thesis): Parametric Design and Construction” and “Fundamentals of Animation” have been included in the first batch of demonstration courses for ideological and political education among Jiangsu universities. The projects, i.e., “The Curriculum System for Art Major of New Liberal Arts and New-form Textbook Construction” and “The Construction of a New Type of Product Design Major and Curriculum with Art and Technology Integration”, have been approved as the first batch of provincial key cultivation projects for research and reform practices in new liberal arts in universities in Jiangsu Province. The project of “Construction and Implementation of the Aesthetic Education System Featuring ‘Nurturing Four Senses of Beauty and Cultivation of Four Types of Talents’” has been selected as a high-quality ideological and political program by the Ministry of Education (Nurturing Four Senses of Beauty and Cultivation of Four Types of Talents: cultivating the followers, inheritors, creators, and disseminators of beauty by nurturing the beauty of the heart, promoting the beauty of culture, creating the beauty of art, and practicing the beauty of action). NUA has been approved to establish the Jiangsu University Cultural and Creative Collaborative Innovation Center, and it has established the Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics - NUA Base. It has been approved as one of the first batch of bases for the Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Purple Academy of Culture & Creativity, one of the first-batch high-end innovative think tanks in Jiangsu Province, has secured a position among the national A-level think tanks and has been selected as a “Cultural and Tourism Research” base by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The NUA Art Gallery has been repeatedly recognized by major media as one of the top ten art institutions and art galleries in China.

In recent years, NUA has achieved remarkable success in major art exhibitions and performances both at home and abroad. The animated film “DA Yu”, scripted by our teacher, was honored with the 15th “Five One Project Award” by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China, and the 26th TV Art “Starlight Award” for Outstanding TV Animated Program. Additionally, the television drama “The Salt Merchants of the Qing Dynasty” received nominations for the 30th “Feitian Award” and the 28th “Golden Eagle Award”, while the television series “Ebola Fighters” was awarded the “Outstanding TV Drama Award” at the 33rd Feitian Awards. Altogether, NUA has been honored with 8 gold, silver, and bronze awards at the National Art Exhibition, 3 gold awards at the “Golden Bell Awards”, and 1 gold award at the “Wenhua Awards”, as well as 1 classical dance award at the “China Dance Lotus Awards”, and 3 awards at the “Chinese Calligraphy Lanting Awards”; 12 pieces have been selected for the 7th National Exhibition of Youth Ethnic Instrumental Music Education and Teaching Achievements; 2 pieces have been included in the National Exhibition of Outstanding Fine Arts Works at the 12th and 13th China Art Festival. The restaged grand anti-war opera “Qiuzi”, the composed hymn for peace - a multimedia symphonic concert entwining music, poetry, and visual arts, the original drama “When Flowers Bloomed Then”, the original dance dramas “Twelve Seconds” and “Waiting for the Yuhua Stone”, as well as the original musicals “Hidden Light” and “A Grain in the Vast Ocean”, have all achieved significant social influence.

NUA actively engages in national and local cultural development, successfully completing various design tasks, including the national memorial cauldron for the Nanjing massacre victims, the new logo and unveiling installation for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the “Jiangsu Intelligent Manufacturing” Float for the 70th National Day Parade (awarded the “Ingenuity Award”), the visual system for the World Language Conference, the emblem for the Jiangsu Development Summit, the logo for the 2018 Badminton World Championships, the official emblem and logo for China’s medical security, the logo for the Jiangsu medical team that supported Hubei, the visual logo for the Long March-6A rocket, and the overall landscape lighting design for the Qinhuai Bay Bridge in Nanjing Southern New Town (awarded the Muse Design Silver Award). Since 2016, NUA’s “520” Graduation Exhibition Carnival has been successfully held for eight sessions, becoming a widely influential public cultural and artistic event.

Over the course of more than a century of educational endeavor, NUA has upheld exceptional cultural traditions and cultivated profound cultural heritage. From the educational philosophy of “Grandeur, Brevity, Profoundity, and Beauty” established by Mr. Cai Yuanpei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, to the pedagogical ethos advocated by Mr. Liu Haisu, emphasizing “unceasing change and continual transformation”, NUA has nurtured generations of outstanding artistic talents. Renowned masters such as Liu Haisu, Yan Wenliang, Chen Zhifo, Xie Haiyan, Zang Yunyuan, Huang Binhong, Fu Lei, He Lvting, Zhang Daqian, Zhu Qizhan, Pan Tianshou, Feng Zikai, Lv Sibai, Huang Zhen, Wu Yinxian, Sha Fei, Dong Xiwen, Zhao Dan, Lv Fengzi, Chen Baoyi, Yu Jianhua, Cheng Wujia, Liu Ruli, Wen Zhaotong, Chen Dayu, Huang Youkui, Sheng Xue, Gan Tao, Hong Pan, Liu Shaochun, Cheng Shifa, Luo shuzi, Su Tianci, Lin Shuzhong, and Fang Jun have either taught or studied at NUA. Their remarkable contributions have greatly advanced Chinese art education and laid a solid foundation for NUA’s development.

In this new era and on the new journey, NUA is assigned with new missions and responsibilities. While embarking on the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, NUA proudly holds high the great banner of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully and deeply studies, publicizes, and implements the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, adheres to the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, focuses on the strategic theme of high-quality development and the principal direction of building a high-level university. We are solidly advancing the strategic deployment of “13510” proposed at the 11th Congress of Party Representatives of NUA. In the new era of higher art education and artistic creation, NUA will leverage “Chinese characteristics”, strive for “world-class status”, and showcase “comprehensive advantages”, consistently contributing to the development of modern Chinese civilization and the creation of a new splendor of socialist culture. NUA will always be committed to making new contributions to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through the promotion of Chinese-style modernization.

Nanjing University of the Arts is one of the earliest art schools in China. Its predecessor can be traced back to the Shanghai Art School founded by Mr. Liu Haisu in 1912, which is the first art school in modern China. Shanghai Art School was officially established on November 23, 1912, and the school was located at No. 7 Zhapu Road, Shanghai. After several moves, it was finally located on Caishi Road in the French Concession in Shanghai. In 1915, Shanghai Art School  was renamed Shanghai College of Graphic Arts. In 1921, it was given a new name—Shanghai Arts Specialized School. In 1930, the name was changed to Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. The school initially set up a painting department,which was changed to a western painting department later. In 1919, six additional disciplines were established, namely, Chinese Painting, Western Painting, Crafts and Patterns, Sculpture, Higher Normal School and Elementary Normal School. In the same year, the board of directors of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts was established, which was composed of renowned educators such as Cai Yuanpei, Zhao Jujiao, Wang Zhen, Shen Enfu, Huang Yanpei, etc., thus completing the establishment of a large-scale art school.

In September 1922, Yan Wenliang founded Suzhou Art School, which was named Suzhou Academy of Fine Arts in October 1932; in May 1950, six art troupes (teams) in the Shandong Liberated Area and the Department of Literature and Art of East China University were reorganized into the Department of Art of East China University. On December 8, it was merged into the Department of Art of Shandong University.

In 1952, colleges and universities nationwide adjusted their departments. According to the decision of the Central Ministry of Culture, the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Suzhou Academy of Fine Arts and the Department of Art of Shandong University were merged into the East China Institute of the Arts. The merger was completed on December 8 of the same year and the campus was located in Sheqiao, Wuxi. Since then, December 8 has been identified as the birthday of Nanjing University of the Arts. East China Institute of the Arts had a Department of Fine Arts, a Department of Music and a Creative Research Office.  Under the two major departments, there were several sub-departments that included all the art disciplines and offered a three-year course of study. Gradually, its structure became much more complete.

In January 1958, the East China Institute of the Arts moved to Nanjing and was located in Dingjiaqiao. In June of the same year, it was renamed Nanjing Academy of Fine Arts. On June 10, 1959, it was renamed Nanjing University of the Arts by the Jiangsu Provincial Government, and the period of schooling was changed to four years, thus finally completing the establishment of NUA.

In May 1967, NUA was relocated to No. 1, Huangguayuan, Nanjing. During the Cultural Revolution, due to the changing times, NUA merged with the Department of Fine Arts and Department of Music of then Nanjing Normal College and Jiangsu Opera School to form the Jiangsu Revolutionary Arts School on November 23, 1969,. In November 1972, the name was changed back to Nanjing University of the Arts, which was located at No. 77, Beijing West Road and enrolled students for general classes.

In September 1977, the four-year undergraduate program was resumed, and at the same time, the location of the university was fixed at No. 15, Huju North Road, Nanjing.. Rapid changes were made after the 1980s and 1990s. Nanjing University of the Arts is now a new comprehensive art university with a multi-disciplinary and multi-level education system that enrolls undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students.

The school motto of Nanjing University of the Arts