Xishuangbanna Vocational and Technical Institute

Xishuangbanna Vocational and Technical College (西双版纳职业技术学院), referred to as “Xizhi Yuan” for short, is a pilot university for Yunnan Province’s “Going Out” strategy and a demonstration higher vocational college in the province.

Historical Background

The college traces its origins back to the Fohai Simple Normal School (佛海简易师范学校), which was established in September 1936. In March 1951, the Fohai Junior Normal School (佛海初级师范学校) was founded at the original site of the Fohai Simple Normal School. In June 1954, it was renamed Yunnan Xishuangbanna Junior Normal School (云南省西双版纳初级师范学校). In August 1972, Xishuangbanna Ethnic Normal School (西双版纳州民族师范学校) was established. In July 2001, Xishuangbanna Ethnic Normal School, Xishuangbanna Education College, and Xishuangbanna Radio and Television University merged to form Xishuangbanna Vocational and Technical College. In 2003, three secondary specialized schools—Xishuangbanna Finance and Trade School, Health School, and Agricultural School—were incorporated into the college.

Campus Information

As of May 2019, the college is divided into two campuses: the old campus covers nearly 200 acres with a building area of 63,551 square meters; the new campus occupies 1,232.02 acres with a building area of 253,808.42 square meters. The college has 9 secondary colleges (departments, centers) and offers 43 diploma programs (with 22 programs open for enrollment year-round). There are 414 full-time faculty members. As of January 2022, the college has 12,308 full-time students.

Basic Information

  • Chinese Name: 西双版纳职业技术学院
  • English Name: Xishuangbanna Vocational and Technical College
  • Location: Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture (西双版纳傣族自治州)
  • Established: 2001
  • Type: Public higher education institution
  • Category: Comprehensive college
  • Features: Pilot university for Yunnan Province’s “Going Out” strategy (2006); Yunnan Provincial Demonstration Higher Vocational College (2012)
  • Supervising Department: Yunnan Province
  • Current Leaders: Li Zhonghai (李忠海) [Party Secretary], Yuan Songping (袁松平) [President]
  • Vocational Programs: 43
  • Departments: 9 secondary colleges (departments, centers)
  • Motto: 励志厚德,强能精业 (Inspire diligence, cultivate virtue, and excel in professionalism)
  • School Song: 《希望之歌》 (Song of Hope)
  • Addresses:
    • Jinghong Campus: 93 Xuanwei Avenue, Jinghong City, Yunnan Province (云南省西双版纳州景洪市宣慰大道93号)
    • Menglun Campus: University Town, Menglun Town, Mengla County, Xishuangbanna (云南省西双版纳州勐腊县勐仑镇大学城)
  • Institution Code: 12826
  • Main Awards: National Urgent Talent—Tourism Professional Training Base; Advanced and Excellent Unit for Employment of College Graduates in Yunnan Province

Academic Structure

As of May 2019, the college has 9 secondary colleges (departments, centers) offering 43 diploma programs (22 programs open year-round).

Departments and Programs

Department Programs Offered
International Exchange College Chinese Language Education, English Education, Applied English, Applied Thai Language, Applied Foreign Languages (Lao Language), Applied Foreign Languages (Burmese), Secretarial Studies, Ethnic Minority Languages and Cultures of China, Applied Foreign Languages (Cambodian Language), Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, International Education
Tourism and Economics College Tourism Management, Hotel Management, Marketing, High-Speed Rail Service, Accounting, Logistics, Economic Information Management, International Economics and Trade, Logistics Management
Normal College Preschool Education, Primary Education, Mathematics Education, Art Design, Legal Affairs, Computer Application Technology, Power Supply Technology, Administrative Management
Medical College Nursing, Pharmaceutical Production Technology, Dai Medicine, Rehabilitation Therapy Technology, Traditional Chinese Medicine
Life Science College Food Quality and Safety, Horticultural Technology, Forestry Technology, Environmental Monitoring and Control Technology, Plant Protection and Quarantine Technology, Landscape Technology, Food Nutrition and Testing

Faculty Strength

As of May 2019, the college has 414 full-time faculty members (including 299 teachers, 101 administrative and auxiliary personnel, and 14 support staff). There are 136 faculty members with postgraduate degrees, including postdoctoral researchers and master’s students; 75 hold senior professional titles, and 113 are “dual-qualified” teachers.

Teaching Excellence

According to the college’s official website in September 2020, there are 5 provincial-level distinctive and key construction majors, 3 of which are high-level backbone majors in Yunnan Province, and 2 are key demonstration construction majors. The college has established 6 provincial-level excellent courses, 14 college-level excellent courses, and 2 bilingual demonstration courses.

Notable Courses

Category Name
Yunnan Provincial Key Demonstration Construction Major Applied Thai Language, Applied Lao Language
Yunnan Provincial High-Level Backbone Major Preschool Education, Applied Thai Language, Dai Medicine
Yunnan Provincial Distinctive Major Applied Thai Language, Tourism Management
Yunnan Provincial Higher Vocational College Basic Course Teaching Reform Project Research on the Professional Curriculum System Construction of Applied Thai Language “Integration of Domestic and International”
Yunnan Provincial Bilingual Demonstration Course Guide Scripts (Chinese-Lao Bilingual)
Yunnan Provincial Excellent Course Simulation Tour Guide, Sino-Thai Simulation Tour Guide, Modern Hotel Management, Thai Spoken Language, Thai Phonetics

Academic Research

Research Achievements

In 2017, the college undertook a total of 21 school-level projects, 2 state-level projects, and 5 provincial education department projects, publishing 75 papers that year. In 2018, Teacher Qiu Yisheng (邱以胜) won a National Art Fund project in “Craft Art Creation,” and the college undertook 12 school-level projects, 3 state-level projects, and 5 provincial education department projects, publishing 44 papers.

Academic Resources

Library Collection: As of September 2019, Xishuangbanna Vocational and Technical College Library has a collection of 312,300 books and 16,034 electronic books.

Cooperation and Exchanges

As of December 2018, the college has established support and cooperative relationships with research institutions and universities such as the Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院昆明动物研究所), Menglun Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院勐仑热带植物园), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (上海交通大学), Shanghai Second Polytechnic University (上海第二工业大学), Yunnan University (云南大学), Kunming University of Science and Technology (昆明理工大学), Yunnan Normal University (云南师范大学), Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (云南财经大学), and Yunnan Agricultural University (云南农业大学). A total of 161 new international students from Laos and Myanmar were enrolled, and there are currently 314 international students on campus.