Gannan Normal University

Gannan Normal University is located in the beautiful Rongjiang New District of Ganzhou. Ganzhou lies in southern Jiangxi Province, China, at the source of the thousand-li Gan River, and has a population of more than nine million. With a mild, humid climate and abundant resources, Ganzhou is known as the “World Capital of Tungsten” and the “Kingdom of Rare Earths,” as well as the internationally renowned “Home of Navel Oranges.” It has convenient transport, with extensive railways, expressways and air connections. It has a long history and many historic sites, was one of China’s 36 major cities more than 2000 years ago, and is known as the “Song Dynasty City South of the Yangtze.” Its urban center is surrounded by water on three sides and mountains on all sides. With beautiful scenery, a rich cultural heritage and many historic sites, it is one of China’s most livable cities and offers one of the country’s best investment environments.

Founded in 1958, Gannan Normal University is one of Jiangxi’s two provincially administered undergraduate teacher education institutions. It covers 10 disciplinary categories: law, economics, history, literature, science, engineering, agriculture, education, management and art. It has 20 teaching schools, 71 undergraduate programs and 66 master’s degree authorization fields, with approximately 20000 students of various categories and over 1300 faculty and staff. Its two campuses cover more than 2100 mu and offer good educational resources and conditions. A Ministry of Education assessment panel described it as “an undergraduate teacher education institution with distinctive educational characteristics and promising development prospects, ranking among the leading comparable local teacher education institutions in teaching quality and educational strength.”

The university has nearly 1000 full-time teachers, including over 460 senior professional and technical staff and over 240 teachers with doctorates. In recent years, it has recruited and developed a group of disciplinary and academic leaders. It has 1 jointly appointed member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and more than 20 recipients of distinctions such as the National New Century Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talent Project, the Ministry of Education New Century Excellent Talent Program and special State Council allowances. Its faculty structure has improved significantly in academic qualifications, professional titles and educational backgrounds. Teachers are devoted to their work and to educating students. Exemplary individuals have received honors including National Outstanding Teacher, National Outstanding Science and Technology Worker, Global Confucius Institute Outstanding Individual, Jiangxi May Day Labor Medal and Model of Teacher Ethics in the Jiangxi Education System.

The university consistently places talent training at its center. In 2014, it received 2 second prizes in the National Teaching Achievement Awards and 1 first prize in the National Master of Education Professional Degree Teaching Achievement Awards. It has received approval for 2 nationally distinctive programs, 2 national quality courses, 3 Ministry of Education comprehensive program reform projects, 4 Ministry of Education industry-university collaborative education projects, and 1 national demonstration joint training base for Master of Education professional degree students. It is working to become a center for basic education teacher training, research and consultation, and reform and development services in southern Jiangxi and surrounding areas. It has developed an educational structure distinguished by teacher education and the humanities and sciences, with coordinated development across humanities, sciences, management and engineering.

Gannan Normal University began educating international students in 2006. To date, it has trained more than 600 international students from 17 countries, including Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. International student categories include undergraduate degree students, postgraduate degree students, exchange students, preparatory students, language students and short-term cultural experience students. In 2013, it became a host institution for the Chinese Government Scholarship, Confucius Institute Scholarship and Jiangxi Provincial Government Scholarship.