Beijing Foreign Studies University marks history with museum

A museum displaying the history of Beijing Foreign Studies University officially opened on its campus on Friday.

Former leaders, some renowned alumni and foreign teachers of the university, including the 101-year-old Canadian teacher Isabel Crook, attended the opening ceremony.

Peng Long, president of the university, said that he was proud of the 74-year history of the university, one that has been "the cradle of China's ambassadors and foreign language educators."

"And we should be more proud and confident, as an increasing number of our alumni becomes leading figures in more non-linguistic sectors, such as finance, laws and communications," Peng said.

He added that the aim of the university, in the new era, is to become the leading force of China's foreign language education, and to become one of the most important bases of exchanging Chinese and foreign cultures.

According to Peng, the university runs courses in about 70 global languages, and will start providing courses in all the official languages of countries that have established diplomatic relations with China within five years.

"By 2020, we'll be teaching more than 100 languages," Peng said, adding that both the course number tops that of all other foreign language universities in China.

The history of the university dates back to 1941, when a team was established in Yan'an - the headquarters of the Communist Party of China - to teach the Russian language.

The team was then expanded into a school to teach foreign languages in Yan'an until August 1945, when China won the war against Japan's aggression and teachers and students of the school moved to North and Northeast China.

It finally got its current name in 1994, after a few changes in school components and site. It has been a popular choice among students who want to study foreign languages and interdisciplinary courses.