Welcome to Apply to PKU School of Arts (2026)

Hello everybody. It's very nice to be here. My name is Andrea Baldini and I'm

here. My name is Andrea Baldini and I'm Chanjan chair professor here at the school of arts of Pecking University and is an honor to be with my colleague Mate

Ravasio who is uh also assistant professor here at the school of arts of uh Pecking University. What we're going to do in this video is introducing our

PhD program in history and theory of art, a PhD program fully in English in the hope of clarifying some of the doubts of the questions that you might

have about uh this program and again in the hope that you will actually join our family. Now, Pecking University is uh

family. Now, Pecking University is uh one of the most prestigious universities in the world. It is one of the oldest uh universities in China. Actually was

founded in 1898.

The university has actually excellence both in research and in teaching across the spectrum of many different disciplines. So it's a generalist

disciplines. So it's a generalist university. We cover everything from the

university. We cover everything from the humanities to the sciences. and our

placement in uh the last few years in international rankings have been outstanding. We are very proud and very

outstanding. We are very proud and very honored to be part of this great journey. As you can see in the QS

journey. As you can see in the QS ranking from 2026, we were ranked uh 14 in the world and second in Asia just

right after the University of Hong Kong.

The school of arts actually as is a is a particular institution within the university here of uh in pecking and

in general is a particular kind of institution across the globe. School of

Arts do not really have exact matches in uh other academic context as we will see

also later in what our u students will tell you about their journey. The school

investigates problems related to the art both theoretically and practically across many different disciplines. So we

have actually several different departments including departments of art theory and history, department of fine arts, department of film studies of

musiccology and uh creative design and cultural management. Now the school of

cultural management. Now the school of arts and in general all the school of arts in in China are very very new. Our

school was founded in 2006 though its origin can be traced back back to the 1920s. It is uh constantly ranked among

1920s. It is uh constantly ranked among the best school of arts in China. We

have been I think number one for the last five years and uh it makes this an

in interesting place where to carry out both your research and your life your intellectual life. The international PG

intellectual life. The international PG program in history and theory of art started in 2020. So it's a fairly uh

recently established program but uh we are proud to say uh we have already welcomed several international students.

Four students have already graduated. We

have currently 11 faculty members who s serve as teachers or adviserss in this program. Uh currently we have eight

program. Uh currently we have eight students enrolled um with three new enrollments this year. We hope that um you are going to be part of our family

in the future. The structure of the course um consists of one year one year of of course work. You have several uh

compulsory courses um including a course in um in Chinese language. Um if you don't have any background in Chinese uh then it's going to be an elementary course. You can choose a more advanced

course. You can choose a more advanced course if you're already familiar with the language.

Um after the year of coursework uh you'll have three years in which to focus on your research and uh we we hope to provide uh plenty of resources um to

help you carry out your research in the best possible way and I'm just go through a few of the things that are specific I think to our program.

Um particularly we designed a special series of PhD seminars uh where we invite experts at various stages of their career from early um career

researchers to very established professors um and we invite them to give fairly fairly introductory uh lectures um about certain topics in their

discipline because as my colleague uh professor Baldini already told you um the school of arts is characterized ized by a multi-disiplinary environment. So

it makes sense for us to foster foster a climate of research where you become accustomed to hearing people from several different disciplines. So in

these um introductory talks uh you'll hear experts from all over the world uh introducing um topics and problems in their discipline from a really a range

of fields.

Uh these seminars have a very informal and friendly atmosphere. We have a very flexible format 2 hours maximum and speakers talk for about 1 hour then we have really questions and discussion

until the two hours are over or until the questions are over. So there's

really a special atmosphere at these talks. Uh these are some examples of

talks. Uh these are some examples of past and future PhD seminars. You see we had a lecture on um the appreciation of Chinese calligraphy.

Um we had a lecture on AI art. uh and

the fourthcoming one on um restoration of works of painting and other visual artworks.

The PhD work in progress day is another special feature of our program. It's a

day normally around May where you are invited as a PhD candidate to share your research regardless of its state of development. Even if you've just

development. Even if you've just started, you're invited to share that research with your colleagues and with faculty members who are also invited to attend. But this is a really a

attend. But this is a really a semi-private event in the sense that we do not advertise it outside the school of arts precisely because we want you to

feel comfortable to have this one occasion every year where you can present your research to your colleagues and to faculty members to get as much useful feedback as possible. It's very

important for you to practice uh your your skills in terms of delivery of your research and to really uh compare what you're doing to what other people are

doing and to receive some precious feedback I think from both faculty members but also from your your colleagues from the other students in

your cohort. We also open this uh work

your cohort. We also open this uh work in progress day to students from the Chinese PhD program. Um so uh we have um an additional chance uh for the two

communities, the communities of PhD students and that of international students to um find some some way of sharing their research. And again the

focus is on keeping the atmosphere as friendly and informal as possible. And I

have to say having been involved in the organization of the work in progress day for uh two years now uh they have been

always um wonderful events and I think we all have great memories of um of these um of this kind of research format

conference format um which has proven quite useful to the students involved.

Last but really not least, uh another feature of this program which is perhaps one of the most unusual is that we want to take advantage of the fact that we

are in such an amazing city as Beijing.

Um and we organize excursions for our students to appreciate cultural naturalistic sites in the in Beijing and in the Beijing area. So the travel and ticket expenses are covered by the

school of arts. Uh these excursions happen normally once per semester and they're of course not compulsory but I'm sure you will not want to miss out. Uh

we have been to you know the obvious places like obviously the the Great Wall but also to um you know lesserk known

ones but still pretty amazing uh like James Terrell's gather sky a fantastic installation

um and also um another very imp very impressive archaeological site in Shan Pagod forest a complex of

pagodas um on the site of an ancient temple with um a nearby hike on the mountains from

which you can see the whole complex from above. The bottom line is that this

above. The bottom line is that this program um offers unique research opportunities in a very special setting.

We believe the setting of the school of arts with this uh multi-disiplinary environment in a city that has an artistic offer in terms of both

contemporary and traditional art that is really hard to match. Uh but also it's a program that is international and

welcoming and friendly and we also hope um it's fun.

>> Hello everyone.

>> Hi, my name is Phoebe Haynes. I am a thirdyear PhD student from the UK at the school of arts in peing university.

>> My name is Samclar. I am a fourth year PhD student at the school of arts as well.

So being in China has I would say very much influenced my research. So I

come from a place of art theory, aesthetics and art history focusing on contemporary art. and I've always had an

contemporary art. and I've always had an interest in Chinese contemporary art, but my background is more broad. So, I

came into the program focusing on general history and sort of the visual aesthetic qualities in contemporary art.

During my time here, I've continued this interest, but I've also used the opportunity being here to engage with a lot of the developments within the Chinese art scene right now,

contemporary developments. And through,

contemporary developments. And through, you know, talks with my supervisor and other professors and my peers as well, uh, I've had the opportunity not just to learn about art, but also to meet

certain artists, interview them, uh, and just the general environment, having access to, you know, contemporary art galleries and museums within Beijing and

and other cities as well in China. uh

I've been able to develop that element of my research focusing on Chinese artists while also developing sort of the general interests I have within

contemporary art and aesthetics as well.

>> So yeah, so somewhat similar to Sam's story, um my research is very directly related to China, um to Chinese music,

specifically uh Chinese kunchu opera. Um

so prior to beginning my PhD I had worked professionally as a classical singer for about 15 years and had performed in many different countries and was fortunate enough to come to

China specifically to Beijing um about nine years ago. Um and that really kindled um in me this love for Chinese music and Chinese culture. But that

being said, um, at PKU, we have such, um, an international, such a global type of educational experience here. Um, we

are consistently one of the top 20 universities in the world, I think. Um,

so the level of academic rigor combined with all of the cultural events that we have access to here, not just only in PKU, but in the city, um, broadly

speaking, is just absolutely second to none. Um, we have the NCPA, um, the

none. Um, we have the NCPA, um, the fantastic opera house and concert venue.

We have so many, uh, modern art galleries, uh, Ted Bar 798. There's so

much, um, on offer here for global scholars. So, um,

scholars. So, um, >> being in China has really, of course, directly influenced our specific journeys. Um, but in general, PKU is

journeys. Um, but in general, PKU is just a fantastic place for anyone to study the arts and culture. So, yes,

>> we highly recommend it. And then not just uh being in Beijing also you have at least from my perspective within contemporary art. Beijing has a very

contemporary art. Beijing has a very good contemporary art scene but so of course to Shanghai or or or Chongdu and you also have very easy access to all of those cities as well which is another

benefit of of living I suppose in China generally if you're have similar interests to me at least.

>> Absolutely. I think um yeah we should probably talk about you know just how fantastic it is living in modern day China. The infrastructure is incredible.

China. The infrastructure is incredible.

Um, two days ago I woke up in Shanghai, I spent the afternoon in Sujo and by the evening I was back in Beijing. Um, and

you know, so everything is just so well connected, efficient. Uh, the

connected, efficient. Uh, the infrastructure is fantastic. Um, so

yeah, the experience of living here is really really wonderful.

Um so there are so many different types of academic events and conferences on offer uh in China and also in our university specifically. Uh the one I

university specifically. Uh the one I want to talk about is every um August September we have a conference uh for international PhD students within the

arts. Um and this for me has been such a

arts. Um and this for me has been such a fantastic forum not only to share my own ideas and to get feedback but also to hear what other people are working on.

um not just within uh musiccology which is my field but also within many other areas of the arts. Um so that's been a really really wonderful thing for me. Um

as well as conferences we also have so many classes that are very very interactive. Um, every week I have the

interactive. Um, every week I have the honor of presenting our uh, classic Kunu appreciation class, which for me is a really, really wonderful opportunity to

have face-to-face interaction with some of the most worldrenowned Kunu practitioners. Um, I'm sure it's not

practitioners. Um, I'm sure it's not just only within the field of Kunu. I'm

sure within contemporary art, um, Chinese traditional culture as well. Um

there are so many classes that happen on a weekly basis which to me are almost the same as going to an international conference. They're at such a high level

conference. They're at such a high level that I can really learn a lot from from those forums. >> Yeah. Actually I I agree with you about

>> Yeah. Actually I I agree with you about with all all of that. But the um PhD conference is something I've attended as well and I want to add that's a really good opportunity that the school

provides. uh of course as as any other

provides. uh of course as as any other conference you submit your paper you you know you you apply and doing it I've had the opportunity to sort of workshop a lot of ideas which has been very helpful

one of the papers that I submitted to the first to my first year attending that conference I think in 2023 uh that paper eventually I moved on after years and now it's it's a published paper so it's a very good

opportunity to sort of you know get feedback on your ideas and and um grow your ideas and and get access to you professors and peers.

I also want to talk about some of the talks that the university has and and other conferences organized by the arts department. For instance, the what is it

department. For instance, the what is it the CCA?

>> Yeah, the CCAW.

>> CCAW. Yes. Uh this is a conference that's uh yearly conference that the school sets up in the spring. And it's

very nice that they always will generally have a guest keynote speaker.

Uh and they usually come from all over the world. Uh like last year for

the world. Uh like last year for instance it was Sher Irvin from University of is it Idaho?

>> OK sorry. Last year it was Sher Irvin uh from the University of Oklahoma who is very helpful for me because that is a key uh scholar for my research actually.

Uh so I had the chance to hear her talk, meet with her, talk a bit with her, which is very good for um my own research and just a helpful experience in general. And it's very nice that the

in general. And it's very nice that the school has these opportunities. And of

course these sort of uh it's not just during conferences where we have a lot of uh guest lecturers generally at least several times every term there'll be uh various lecturers from all around the world. So it's a

very global kind of environment in terms of research and a lot of opportunities to engage with scholars who are in my field but also other fields which I think is very

helpful to have that access because it can help develop your own ideas to engage you know interdicciplinary.

>> Absolutely. Yeah. the the point you just made then it hadn't occurred to me but um I think that is one of the most amazing things about our course is the one-on-one uh very tailor-made feedback

that we get at kind of every step of the journey for instance like you said the PhD conference and the CCAW conference for those conferences we submit a full paper and we get full feedback from

experts on those my experience uh with some other conferences has been that you don't always need to submit a full paper and in that sense you don't always get really really detailed feedback. Um, so

that's something that's been very uh helpful to me. And the paper that I submitted um for our PhD conference, I then was able to get feedback, take it to another conference, and then I hope

that I can do what you've done and and eventually publish my work. Um but yes, I think it's it's um it's not only the

student and supervisor relationship um which of course is is primary, but um there are so many other ways to get amazing academic feedback. Um we have a

work in progress day uh once every year I believe or maybe it might even be once every semester in the future. I'm not

sure. But um that's a really wonderful forum as well to to share our work um and to just kind of you know do something that scares us, you know, get

our get our evolving research out there and show it to our colleagues. Um so

yeah.

>> Yes. The work in progress days is usually a good experience. Yeah. It's if

you you have the opportunity to you know it's one thing to be working on your dissertation on your own but actually putting it together in a very clear orderly presentation >> for others is very helpful and

>> usually is very good feedback because you know you have again your peers there not just people from the English program people from the you know the main Chinese program as well and many professors

attend this conference as well so they're able to provide feedback >> I can so I I think one of the good things about this program, one of the

things I like a great deal is the it has simultaneously a very broad scope, the school of arts at PKU, but also very specialized. And what I mean

by that is as a school of art, it's it provides a lot of opportunities. So I'm

in the art theory side of things. So I

have an interest in aesthetics, but I also have a big interest in art history as well. So I I kind of have a

as well. So I I kind of have a interdicciplinary interest and this program is is ideal for that because it you know you have your specific specialtities you have professors who are you know experts in certain things

but they're all located in one place and they all interact with each other.

>> So I think it's a great environment for inter interdisciplinary studies. So

people who have those interdicciplinary interests would benefit a great deal.

But even if you don't, I think that's just helpful in general because you can have access to, you know, your specific area, >> whether it be film studies, musicology, art theory, anything like that, or

traditional Chinese art, all types of things.

>> Uh, but you also have people in related fields, adjacent fields, and even kind of unrelated fields. All of that is a good academic environment, I would say, to have the that kind of access. So

the type of scholars I would say is people who run a very wide gambit maybe uh taking a particular interest in sort of not just interdisciplinary but at

least having a sort of general curiosity I think is is sort of something that's been fostered in me being here and has been very helpful for my research.

>> Absolutely. Yeah, I would agree with everything you said. I think you know who who what kind of a scholar would come to PKU? I think anyone who's

looking for a world-class education, you know, anyone who's looking for just um the most rigorous and interesting,

broad, international um but also uniquely Chinese um PhD course. Uh

there's there's so much on offer. If you

don't already speak Mandarin, if you don't have knowledge of Chinese, you can come here. You can study Chinese. that's

come here. You can study Chinese. that's

that's absolutely on offer and in fact it's compulsory I believe um for the first year um but there's so much else you can attend you can audit any class

in the university so if you're interested in Buddhist art or you're interested in physics or you you know you have very broad different other interests you can go and audit any of

those classes you can benefit from that knowledge um so yeah anyone curious uh and looking for uh a top class worldass

education.

>> If you're interested in the program or have any questions at all, feel free to contact the School of Arts at PKU.

>> And we look forward to seeing you in Beijing.