1.Foundation
Founded in 1928 as the first art academy with complete academic programs in China, China Academy of Art (CAA), undergoing changes in name and location, continues to yield outstanding achievements known both at home and abroad. CAA has experienced early hardship, ample maturity and leaping expansion as a vanguard in art. With a mission to revitalize Chinese art, it is in active dialogue with the world and has great influence in the development of modern and contemporary art in China.
Throughout the history of CAA, there are two important academic concepts: one is “eclectic”, championed by the first president Lin Fengmian; and the other is “innovation derives from tradition” advocated by Pan Tianshou. These two interrelated concepts form the major traditions of CAA, and create a free environment for artistic creation and experimentation and also diversified humanities studies.
The China Academy of Art has been at the forefront of the artistic world in pursuit of its historical purpose and obligation to reinvigorate Chinese art.
2.Campuses
The Academy earned the distinction of "exemplary civilization unit" before any other educational institution in the nation. It now has four campuses in Hangzhou (Nanshan, Xiangshan, Liangzhu and Xianghu) and 1 campus in Shanghai (Zhangjiang). The Nanshan campus, which opened in 2003, showcased a modern art education center that connects the contemporary and classic art between the East and the West; the Xiangshan campus, which opened in 2007, is a frontier public art and mass culture area open to the public; the Liangzhu campus, which opened in 2021, is an international design hub that bridges science, art and business; Xianghu campus to be opened in 2023, is the Gate of Classic Chinese Art that passes on Chinese cultural elements to make today a better day. And Zhangjiang Campus, Shanghai is an artistic design innovation hub on the international frontier, and an innovation incubator open to all CAA graduate students. There are over 10,000 students and about 1,000 faculty and staff members at the academy.
3.Purposes
Time and again, the China Academy of Art has been at the forefront of the artistic world in pursuit of its historical purpose and obligation to reinvigorate Chinese art. To accomplish its two primary goals —"building world-class Eastern fine art” and “creating a new humanistic education system based on artistic innovation and social aesthetic cultivation”- the Academy has renovated its campuses, maintained its philosophies, expanded academic disciplines, and regrouped into "Five Disciplines and Ten Schools." Guided by the school motto, the Academy believes in a multifaceted approach to learning, committed to valuing and promoting diversity in all its forms. Meanwhile, it follows a pragmatic approach to education, stressing that “practice leads to knowledge, and study leads to accomplishment,” and that “the ideal beauty of harmony through public enjoyment”. The Academy, as a paradigm of craftsmanship and erudite academics, has fostered exceptional artistic talents with virtue who are well-versed in science, art, ancient and modern history, and are well-informed about China and other countries.
China Academy of Art is jointly established by Zhejiang Provincial Government, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The Academy and the Fine Arts Discipline have been recognized as a "First-Class" academic institution and discipline respectively in two consecutive rounds of national disciplines review. The Discipline of Fine Arts and the Discipline of Design both received an A+ in the fourth round of the national disciplines review, ranking first in the country; the Discipline of Art Theory received an A-, ranking third in the country; and the Discipline of Drama, Film, and Television received a B+, ranking sixth in the country. There are a total of 28 programs offered by the Academy, 26 of which have been classified as National First-Class programs, and the other 2 more as Zhejiang Provincial First-Class programs.