Introduction to BFU

As one of the key national universities directly under the Ministry of Education in China, Beijing Forestry University (BFU) provides the advanced education in the studies of forestry and ecological environment. It was one of the first universities to be admitted into the "211 Project" (the major project sponsored and funded by the government for the construction of top 100 key universities in China in the 21st century) and the 21st-century Educational Vitalization Action Program.

Located in the internationally well-known Zhong Guan Cun Hi-Tech Zone, the university was originally the forestry department of the Royal University (the predecessor of Beijing University) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After the foundation of the university in 1952, a number of distinguished experts and professors from Peking University (now Beijing University), Tsinghua University and Beijing Agriculture University were transferred to the university, which has inherited their rigorous style and discipline in academic pursuits. Decades of effort has developed it into a comprehensive university characterized by forestry, environmental science and biology, with well-coordinated multi-disciplines of science, engineering, management, economics, law, liberal arts and agriculture.

After entering the "211 Project" in 1995, the university reached the standard set by the municipal government for the beautification of campuses in 1996, and won the title of the "Campus as Beautiful as Gardens in Beijing" five years later. In 2000, it established the Graduate School, the only one among the forestry universities and colleges nationwide, and a stock company of science and technology.

BFU, as one of the key institutions of higher education in China, is the cradle of professionals specialized in advanced technology of multi-disciplines including forestry, soil and water conservation, landscape gardening, biotechnology, construction of ecological environment and economic management.

Since its establishment 50 years ago, more than 30,000 students and a number of foreign students have graduated from the university, and among them 11 have attained to the positions of academicians. The university possesses a well-formed faculty composed of 956 full-time teachers, including 5 academicians, 496 full and associate professors .While making an effort to enrich its discipline category and optimize the discipline structure, the university not only possesses the traditional disciplines which are recognized for their high quality both at home and abroad, but also has established a large number of new disciplines to meet the development of the society. There are 15 schools subordinate to the university, namely Graduate School, Biological Science and Technology, Landscape Architecture, Forestry, Environmental Science and Engineering, Soil and Water Conservation, Industry, Information Science, Material Science and Technology, Science, Natural Conservation, Economic Management, Humanistic and Social Sciences, Foreign Languages, Vocational Training and Adult Education.

The university boasts advanced Computer Center, Computer Network Center, Modern Educational Center, Audio-Visual Teaching Center, Biological Center, Micro-Technology Center, Forest Organism Center, and a forest farm for teaching and research (Jiu Feng National Forest Park). Attached to the university are the Foreign Language Training Center of the State Forestry Administration, the Research Center of Soil Control Technology of Loess Plateau in China, the Training Center of Desertification Control of ChinaQuiet and beautifully laid out, BFU is a well-equipped modern university featured by the magnificent Central Building of Teaching, the first-rate gymnasium, advanced laboratories and practice bases, and the colorful, high-speed campus network. The computerized checking system has been set up for all the books in the library, and located in the library building is the Imported Teaching Materials Center for the forestry universities and colleges nationwide. The construction of the modern high-rise student apartment building and the new classroom building was completed in 2001, both of which have been put to use.

In recent years, nearly 200 achievements of scientific research received rewards from the national, provincial and ministerial authorities, and more than 20 achievements of teaching were rewarded by the national and municipal governments. BFU is engaged in the international academic exchanges and cooperation with more than 150 universities and research institutions of over 20 countries and districts in the world, providing opportunities for the contacts between China and the outside world in the researches of forestry and ecological environment.

BFU also provides a favorable atmosphere for teaching and learning, combining the acquisition of professional knowledge with the improvement of the all-round abilities, with the emphasis on forging the rigorous style in academic pursuit and creativity. The systems of optional courses, subsidiary courses, course exemption and bachelor-to-master continuation education have been established so that the students are able to develop themselves according to their own interests and wishes. The university also offers colorful extracurricular activities to enrich the life on the campus, which are organized by numerous student societies and associations in science and technology, art, sports, environmental protection, and politics, etc. Some of them have become quite influential in the society, such as the Society of Scientific Exploration and Wilderness Survival and the Association of Beijing College Volunteers for Environmental Protection, and the former received the "Prize of the Earth", the highest prize from the National Bureau of Environmental Protection. In recent years, the students of BFU won 4 prizes consecutively at the College Students' Landscape Gardening Architecture Design Competitions sponsored by UNESCO and the International Association of Landscape Gardening Architects, as well as the Golden Prize of International College Students' Architecture Design and the prizes for Gardening Design Competitions. Excellent achievements were also made in the competitions of scientific inventions, mathematics, and art organized domestically.

In the new century, Beijing Forestry University will continue the construction of disciplines, strengthen educational reform, and promote academic exchanges with the universities in the other countries, and strive for greater development and new contri