ZhaoTong University

Founded in 1979 with the approval of the State Council, Zhaotong University is committed to cultivating well-qualified teachers for both primary schools and middle schools. The beautiful campus covers a total area of 506，669 square meters including a floor space of 247,112 square meters. It is situated in Zhaotong City, lies at the northeast end of Yunnan Province which is an important junction of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou provinces. Here is inhabited by 24 minority nationalities including Han, Hui, Yi and Miao，and all the five religions, namely, Buddhism, Taoism, Islamism, Christian and Catholicism.

Zhaotong city features a great variety of different climatic zones ranging from subtropical to warm temperate, with a frostless period of 220 days and an annual average temperature of 11.7 C. Here one can not only enjoy the experience of “(The same mountain) and (different weather) within a distance of 10 miles” but also appreciate the wonderful sight of plateau mountains and flatlands, and admire some interesting places such as Dashanbao, Doushaguan, and Huanglianhe. Dashanbao, is famous for its wetlands and national black-necked crane nature reserve. Every winter, over 1000 black-necked cranes migrate here for wintering, making up 1/5 of the global population. For this reason, it is called “The Homeland of the Black-necked Crane”, where we can witness the blacked-necked cranes, the snow-land spirits, and also see the natural wonder of the Jigongshan Grand Canyon, which has an elevation of 2600 meters, admire Tiaodunhe Reservoir, enjoy the grassland, watch the auspicious flam mule, (a natural light phenomenon) and experience the varied weather conditions. Doushaguan is an ancient town. It presents both human cultural sights and natural landscapes. During day time, you could enjoy the wonderful natural landscapes; when night fell on the ancient town, all houses light red lanterns, endowing the town with an old-fashioned and antique flavor. Huanglianhe creates a different beautiful scene every season of a year by countless different trees. In addition, there are many impressive-looking and majestic waterfalls. Here everyone can indulge in pleasure and forget to go back home.

Since the founding of the College, it has turned out more than 10,000 full-time graduates as well as 3000 correspondence students and night-school students, most of who are proved to be perfectly fit for their positions. In 2011, the College has an enrollment of 5918 full-time undergraduates and among its 563 staff members, there are 361 professional teachers including 20 professors and 110 associate professors and 162 lecturers and some foreign teachers. After 30 years’ construction and development, the College has established a complete set of education system and education framework which incorporate full-time 3-year education, secondary teachers’ education and adult education as well. The departments offer 30 majors. They are the departments of the Chinese Language, Politics and History, the English Language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Science of Computer, Education, Arts and Physical Education. The College boasts complete teaching facilities including laboratories, multimedia rooms, multi-functional language labs, piano-equipped classrooms as well as Campus Network Center. The College is characterized by its distinct academic atmosphere, take “Zhaotong Writers Group” as an instance, many of them used to study or work in this college, also many of them is still teaching here.

“High morality, devotion and seeking-truth-from-fact” has been the distinguishable style of the College. And in the spirit of fostering talented personnel for the country, the College attaches great importance to the advancement of science and humanity. It has received several titles of Advanced Unit at provincial or city level. In 2004, it was honored as The Advanced School at provincial level by Yunnan Education Bureau.

All the foreigners, who study or teach in Zhaotong University, share different opinions on this charming city, but one thing is in common---Here you could enjoy a better life at a lower cost. Furthermore, one should not miss the delicious local snacks in Zhaotong and feel the hospitality and honesty of Zhaotong people. So, welcome to Zhaotong, welcome to Zhaotong University to teach, study, and communicate!