SISU celebrates 70th anniversary

International studies institutes become more important as China's influence on the world stage continues to grow, Zhou Wenting reports in Shanghai.

Shanghai International Studies University reaffirmed its ambition of becoming a world-class university for global and area studies during celebrations of its 70th anniversary held earlier this month.

Founded in the same year as the People's Republic of China, the school's first iteration was the Shanghai Russian School which was aimed at accelerating the cultivation of Russian speakers who could help the country communicate with the then Soviet Union.

During its early years, the university also trained foreign language experts to assist with nation-building and defense efforts.

Today, the university offers courses in 42 foreign languages and various interdisciplinary majors.

"With the philosophy of 'interpreting the world and translating the future', the school's vision is designed to create a world-class university for global and area studies to help deal with the major changes that are taking place in the world today and share China's knowledge with the rest of the world," says Jiang Feng, Party secretary of SISU, one of the earliest institutions where the country's higher education in foreign language took shape.