Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University continues to empower minds and nurture international experts
As the first university jointly established by partners from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 20-year-old Beijing Normal–Hong Kong Baptist University, or BNBU, has continued to scale new heights by staying true to its core mission while embracing emerging academic trends.
Formerly known as Beijing Normal University–Hong Kong Baptist University United International College and located in the coastal city of Zhuhai, Guangdong province, BNBU — which was renamed in March 2025 — carries the mission of developing a liberal arts university dedicated to nurturing well-rounded global talents.
“Over the past 20 years, we have adhered to a philosophy of internationalization, dedicating ourselves to nurturing talented individuals who possess critical thinking skills, innovative mindsets and a global perspective. By integrating ‘whole person education’ with specialized knowledge, we promote a harmonious blend of arts and sciences while practicing the unity of knowledge and action, producing well-rounded individuals who can contribute meaningfully to society,” said Chen Zhi, president of BNBU.
Starting with its first cohort of 244 undergraduate graduates, BNBU now boasts over 20,000 graduates across bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs. More than 80 percent of its undergraduate graduates have chosen to study abroad in recent years. More than 80 percent of these students who pursue further education have been accepted into the top 100 global universities.
In the past two decades, BNBU has integrated resources in Guangdong and Hong Kong, cultivated an experimental field for China’s higher education reform and nurtured enormous talent for the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and beyond, Chen said.
BNBU has entered the top 100 list with its concentration of high-caliber talent among China’s universities. Up to 90 percent of BNBU’s full-time lecturers and professors hold doctoral degrees, with all of its teaching staff from 40 countries and regions having overseas study or work experience. The university’s 15 scholars entered the world’s top 2 percent scientists list for 2025 developed jointly by Stanford University and Elsevier.
BNBU has set up two provincial key laboratories, two postdoctoral research stations and a number of research institutes, centers and laboratories. The Institute for Advanced Study is led by academicians and world-renowned scholars from China and abroad. With all the research platforms and initiatives, it brings together innovative resources from the Greater Bay Area; promotes cooperation among industry, university and research; and advances forward-looking scientific research on basic theory, artificial intelligence and the integration of arts and sciences.
In April 2025, the first batch of 15 projects was initiated in a joint funding program involving the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong, BNBU and the Hong Kong Baptist University. The projects focus on strategic fields including data science and AI, injecting new momentum into cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong in science, technology and innovation, Chen said.
In cooperation with Beijing Normal University, BNBU has established the Research Center for Mathematics and the Research Center for History and Culture dedicated to the study of ancient languages and civilizations.
Pioneering the integration of liberal arts education and AI, BNBU introduced the School of AI and Liberal Arts, or SAI, in the new semester. The vision of the new school is to promote a dynamic cycle where “AI empowers liberal arts, and liberal arts, in turn, enrich AI”, said Chen Zhong, dean of SAI.
The development of AI models is entirely dependent on vast databases of human knowledge. “SAI focuses on building a closer integration of AI-driven information processing capabilities with industrial knowledge,” he said.
BNBU has launched four interdisciplinary tracks: Intelligent Business Leadership+N, Digital Global Communication+N, Math+N and Computational Media+N, along with the Faculty of Business and Management, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Technology, and the School of Culture and Creativity.
To support students, the school has introduced course coordinators, who serve as academic partners and offer comprehensive guidance, academic support and problem-solving assistance.
For all BNBU students interested in AI, elective courses have also been introduced, formatted into lectures, seminars and practical sessions. “We don’t just teach the knowledge,” said Chen Zhong. “We want to inspire, because inspiration has the power to change lives.”
The role of the university has always been to cultivate students with well-rounded caliber, Chen Zhi said, highlighting curiosity, intensive study and creativity in students.
Also expanding has been the campus, with construction of the teaching cluster underway in Phase II. The Phase II campus, situated adjacent to the ancient village of Huitong, includes clusters for research, teaching and housing.
Looking ahead, Chen Zhi said: “We will vigorously develop cutting-edge programs in science and technology, attracting top international talents through initiatives like the BNBU Global Talent 100 Scheme launched earlier this year, to build high-level research and teaching teams. Driven by innovation, we will promote the empowerment of modern technology across various fields, facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration, and create cutting-edge research projects that enhance students' technological literacy and practical skills.”
Cooperation network expands in bid to attract foreign talent
Championing internationalization in its development, Beijing Normal–Hong Kong Baptist University, or BNBU, has continued to expand its global reach.
Its international cooperation network now includes nearly 100 renowned educational institutions, providing its students and faculty with a wealth of programs, activities and exchange opportunities while promoting cross-cultural interactions.
BNBU launched its Boston Center in January to foster robust international partnerships and interdisciplinary integration in education between the university and the surrounding region.
The center is home to the Institute of Life and Art, the Whitehead Research Center and the BNBU Alumni Association of America.
BNBU envisions the Boston Center as the first step in establishing more centers in major cities like Hong Kong, London and Sydney, tapping into the strength of the BNBU community to amplify its global effect, said Chen Zhi, president of BNBU.
With English as the medium of instruction, BNBU’s curriculum aligns with international standards, cast in a vision for a global perspective grounded in Chinese culture. BNBU has around 30 undergraduate programs across 13 departments. Its undergraduates receive Hong Kong Baptist University bachelor’s degrees and BNBU graduation certificates. Meanwhile, postgraduates earn Hong Kong Baptist University degrees.
The university draws on the advanced educational management system applied in Hong Kong and international educational experience, with a strict quality control system in place. It has continued to deepen cooperation with Hong Kong Baptist University in research and joint student programs. The credit transfer, flexible student exchange and summer courses between the two universities have enhanced the platforms for both study and exchanges.
Yegor Grebnev, an associate professor of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, said, “BNBU’s growth over the last few years has been rather impressive and I fully sympathize with the leadership’s ambition to make it part of the top-tier international academic community.”
“BNBU has a friendly international environment that suits foreign scholars of China like myself. I can access everything that a scholar of early China like myself needs, including books — we have a superb library here — online resources and academic trips around China. More importantly, people at BNBU understand that it is important to study China also through foreign eyes, and I feel I am respected here for the work that I do,” he said.
Exchange student Zoe Rebolledo also enjoys the friendly atmosphere here. From Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico to BNBU in Zhuhai, she chose to study here for her semester abroad. “Being a major in robotics and general systems, I had many options. But China is the best place to learn what I love, and I really enjoy BNBU’s campus,” she said.
Though initially worried about China’s rigorous academic standards, she soon found BNBU’s professors supportive and approachable. Having studied Mandarin for four months, Rebolledo is eager to explore more of China. “I would like to go to Xi’an and see the warriors, or go to Beijing and climb the Great Wall,” she said.
BNBU enrolled more international students in 2025 than in 2024 and expects to welcome more in the future, said Chen.
