UDC 378.046.2
1styear undergraduate of Faculty of Education
Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno
Scientific supervisor – Alena Bekman, PhD, Associate Professor of the Department of Pedagogy and Social Work
The history of the dance department in the Southwest Minzu University
Southwestern Minzu University is located in Chengdu (Sichuan Province). Minzu University is subordinate to the State Commission for Ethnic Affairs of the People’s Republic of China and is jointly established by the State Commission for Ethnic Affairs, the Ministry of Education of Sichuan Province, and the city of Chengdu.
Southwest Minzu University (hereinafter referred to as the University), formerly known as Southwest Nationalities University, was founded in July 1950 and officially established on June 1, 1951. In early 1952, the University formulated the «Preliminary Plan for the Five-Year Plan for the Training of National Minority Personnel (1953-1957)», which determined that during this period it would continue to focus on the training of political personnel, while at the same time conducting professional-technical training, which is urgently needed in ethnic minority areas [1].
In 1954, the Southwest Region was abolished and the University was transferred to the province of Sichuan. In 1955, the University moved from Sinyusha Street to a new campus near Wuhou Temple, and the working conditions for teachers improved significantly. In 1960, the University developed into a student-centered, multidisciplinary institution of higher education with 14 undergraduate majors. More than 3000 students and more than 320 teachers studied here.
In 1957, the anti-right political movement forced many famous specialists and professors to leave the University. In 1962, in order to implement the policy of «accommodation, consolidation, enrichment and improvement», the scale of education was significantly reduced, and the number of students in the school was reduced from more than 3,000 to more than 1,500 [2].
In 1966, the University stopped recruiting students and stopped teaching until 1973. In 1974, the professional base of the department (section) was completely restored. In the autumn of that year, the first batch of 200 «worker, peasant and soldier students» from ethnic minorities was recruited to study five specialties: Chinese, Tibetan, mathematics, physics and chemistry, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine. All departments (sections) resumed the system and activities of teaching and research groups, accepting the first group of students after the resumption of work, including 148 students from Sichuan and 160 students from Tibet [1].
In February 1979, the State Council decided that the University should be under the dual leadership of the State Commission for Nationalities and Sichuan Province, with the State Commission for Nationalities as the main one.
In 1986, the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council approved the University as a master’s degree-granting institution. The first edition of 4 master’s programs in classical Chinese literature, religion, animal genetics and breeding, and Chinese veterinary medicine began enrolling students in 1987, enrolling a total of 9 graduate students.
In 1994, the National Commission on Ethnic Affairs approved the establishment of the Adult Education College, and in 1996 the Adult Education College was formally established. In 1999, with the approval of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, the school was listed as a degree-granting institution that can do the job of applying for a master’s degree for those with equivalent academic qualifications [2].
In December 2002, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the State Commission for Ethnic Affairs signed a joint agreement to jointly build six colleges affiliated with the State Commission for Ethnic Affairs: Central University of Nationalities, South Central University of Nationalities, Northwest Institute of Nationalities, South-Western Institute of Nationalities, Northwest Second Institute of Nationalities and Dalian Institute of Nationalities entered into an agreement.
In 2003, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, the University officially changed its name from «Southwestern Nationalities University» to «Southwestern Minzu University». Approved by the Committee on Academic Degrees of the State Council, the University was added as a unit that awards doctoral degrees in ethnology. Currently, the University has two doctoral programs in the field of ethnology and economics of Chinese minorities.
In 2009, the «Qinghai-Tibet Environmental Research and High-tech Livestock Research and Development Base» was laid in Hongyuan County, Aba Tibet and Qiang Autonomous Prefectures of Sichuan Province. In October this year, the University was allowed to establish a postdoctoral research base in the field of ethnology, which marked a breakthrough in postdoctoral education [2].
In 2010, the University signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Sichuan Branch of the China Construction Bank, and the national research and development base was officially opened. developments in the field of innovations in the field of culture and art. In May 2013, the Ministry of Education of the PRC ranked it as a national university with typical graduate employment experience. In March 2015, the National Ethnic Affairs Commission and the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government signed an agreement to jointly build Southwestern Minzu University. In October 2015, the State Nationalities Commission and the Ministry of Education decided to jointly build Minzu Southwest University [2].
In November 2017, the University was awarded the honorary title of the first national campus.
SMU is recognized as a national “Outstanding Legal Talent Training Base”, “National University Preparatory Education Base”, “National University Practice Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base”, “Off-campus Practice Education Base for the Students of the Universities Affiliated to the Central Ministries and Commissions”, “National Ethnic Affairs Commission Bilingual Talent Fostering Base”, “National Top 50 University with Typical Graduate Employment Experience”, and “National Top 50 University with Typical Innovation and Entrepreneurship Experience”. SMU has been rated ten times in a row as “Sichuan Provincial Advanced Unit for Graduate Employment” and “Sichuan Provincial Advanced Unit of Employment and Entrepreneurship Service for College Students” [1].
As of early 2023, the University has three campuses covering nearly 3,000 acres. The university trains students in 85 undergraduate specialties; it has 1 postdoctoral mobile base and 3 first-level disciplines allowed for doctoral degrees, 24 first-level disciplines allowed for master’s degrees, 14 professional degree points approved, 6 national-level characteristic specialties, 10 provincial-level characteristic specialties, about 3,000 teachers, including about 500 supervisors and masters of supervisors, 52 specialists receiving special state benefits from the State Council. The University has over 30,000 full-time students from 56 nationalities [2].Furthermore, it boasts a unique Museum of Ethnic Groups as well as a Tibetan Literature Museum and a Yi Literature Museum, both the largest of their kinds in the world. SMU has 1.12 million square meters of building space.
Bibliographic list
- Southwest Minzu University (SMU) [Electronic resource]. – Access mode: https://english.swun.edu.cn/Academic_Programs/Introduction.htmm. – Date of access: 28.12.2022.
- Southwest Minzu University [Electronic resource]. – Access mode: http://surl.li/evqat.– Dateofaccess: 07.02.2023.
