Hainan Normal University launches International Academy of Fine Arts

Hainan Normal University unveiled its International Academy of Fine Arts on Thursday, marking a new phase in higher education cooperation between Hainan province and Italy.

Nie Qingbin, the university's president, said the academy deepens educational cooperation between the university and Rome University of Fine Arts and serves as a practical example of mutual learning between Chinese and Italian civilizations. It offers students a platform combining Chinese and Western art education resources. Students will draw on both traditions, push creative boundaries through cultural exchange and develop into well-rounded artists with oriental foundations and international perspectives, Nie added.

Zhang Yin, a member of the university's Party Committee Standing Committee, vice-president and dean of the Academy of Fine Arts, said the initiative comes at a key stage in the Hainan Free Trade Port's development, as it shifts from planning to growth. He said the university considered how international education could foster deep exchanges with established, globally recognized European art institutions, leading to cooperative programs in talent cultivation.

Italy was chosen in part because it is a cradle of the Renaissance, a place many Chinese art students have long admired, Zhang added.

Under the academy's international education model, courses taught by foreign professors will account for more than one-third of specialized courses, foreign-taught core courses will exceed 50 percent, and foreign faculty will make up 60 percent of the teaching team across the curriculum. The academy will offer programs in environmental design and landscape, visual communication and digital media, and oil painting and watercolor.

Zhang noted that the university is the only institution in Hainan currently offering a doctoral program in intangible cultural heritage protection, giving it a natural foundation for cooperation with Italy, which has strong academic expertise in cultural heritage work. The academy aims to integrate the protection and innovation of traditional culture with the free trade port's development while drawing on Italy's research methods and achievements in cultural preservation, he said.

Fabio Mongelli, president of Rome University of Fine Arts, said his first visit to Hainan was in 2024 and his second is now. He described the island as beautiful, with dynamism and optimism visible in its industries and education, and praised its nature and landscape.

He said China, and Hainan in particular, offers an interesting place to develop culture and invigorate cultural heritage, and that Hainan, together with Rome and its ancient culture, can help society advance arts education.

Mongelli said cooperation between Rome University of Fine Arts and Hainan Normal University began in 2023 with a bachelor of arts in design. The first cohort of Chinese students has arrived in Italy for their final year of study, allowing them to deepen their knowledge of Italian culture, methodology and spirit of innovation. Both sides are discussing how to move the bachelor's program toward a master of arts, and he hopes to launch a doctoral course because education should be closely linked with research and innovation in arts and design.