Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU; ) is a public university of linguistics in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China.thumb|The current south gateThe university has the main aim of teaching the Chinese language and culture to foreign students.
Beijing Language and Culture University is often called "Little United Nations" in China because of its very large number of international students from various countries. As of 2022, there are approximately 9,000 international students in its campus, ranking first in China.
As of 2020, Beijing Language and Culture University ranked no.5 nationwide among universities specialized on languages teaching and research in the recent edition of a recognized Best Chinese Universities Ranking, the sub-ranking of Shanghai Ranking.
History
Early in the 1950s when the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language (TCFL) was still at the initial stage, the first generation of BLCU teachers took an active part in the pioneering work. As a result, the first school of higher education specially oriented to foreign students, "Higher Preparatory School for Foreign Students", was established in June 1962. In 1964, the school was officially named "Beijing Language Institute" (). In June 1996, it was renamed "Beijing Language and Culture University" (). Its Chinese name was shortened in July 2002 to "Beijing Language University" with the approval of the Ministry of Education, but the English name remained unchanged. September 6, 2002, witnessed the celebration of the 40th anniversary of BLCU, for which General-Secretary Jiang Zemin and Vice-Premier Li Lanqing wrote letters of congratulations, and the Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Li Peng wrote words of encouragement.
Throughout its history, the university has educated more than 220,000 international students from 189 different nations and regions around the globe. As of 2022, there are approximately 9,000 international students in its campus, ranking first in China.