The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (GAFA) is a provincial institute of higher education with a variety of departments and specialties of Fine Arts and Design. GAFA, founded in 1953, used to be called Central South China Fine Arts School, which consisted of the South China Literature & Arts College, Central South China Literature & Arts Institute and the Fine Arts Department of Guangxi Art Institute. It was first located in Wuchang, Hubei Province, and then was moved to Guangzhou and renamed the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 1958. The undergraduate course was introduced in 1958. The postgraduate diploma followed in 1978. The postgraduate M.F.A. degree course was introduced in 1982. GAFA is one of the first authorized institutions to award M.F.A degrees in the whole country. In 1986 it began to recruit students in continuing education and started to enroll international students, overseas Chinese students and students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

The Academy’s main task is to train high-quality and applied professionals in the fields of art and design, who possess self-cultivation in all-round way – morally, intellectually and physically, with abilities of creation and suitability. The Academy has two branches of learning: Fine Arts (comprising Traditional Chinese Painting, Mural Painting, Oil Painting, Printmaking, Book Binding Art, Comprehensive Fine Arts, Watercolor Painting, Sculpture, Fine Arts Education, and Art History & Study) and Design (comprising Architecture & Environmental Art Design, Graphic Decoration Art Design, Digital Art and Design, Fashion Art Design, Decorative Art Design, Textile-Dyeing Design, Furniture Art Design, Exhibition Art Design, Pottery Art Design, Industrial Design, Design Art & Study and Fashion Design & Engineering). GAFA offers 9 specialties for undergraduate students including Painting, Sculpture, Art Design, Animation, Photography, Fashion Design & Engineering, Industrial Design, Science of Art with 25 different majors (Please refer to ‘Specialties of Undergraduate Program 2006’ following). Postgraduate students can specialize in two specialties: Science of Art and Science of Art Design, with 40 different majors. With the approval of Guangdong Provincial Education Department, Science of Art and Science of Art Design are acknowledged Provincial-level Key Disciplines; Watercolor painting, Chinese Classic Painting Copying, Chinese Art History, Western Art History, and Composition are approved Provincial-level Key Courses. Watercolor painting course is a provincial good-quality one.
Furthermore GAFA consists of two colleges: Design College and Continuing Education College, and an Attached Fine Arts High School as well as a school-run company named ‘Guangdong Jimei Design & Engineering Company’ that undertakes manufacturing and learning researches.
Fine Arts Research Institute of GAFA was established in 1986, including 9 Research Sections: Lingnan Painting School, Science of Design, Fine Arts Education, Science of Art, Subjects on Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai and Hu Yichuan respectively, Calligraphy & Seal-engraving and Space Art.
The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts is made up of a group of high-quality teaching staffs and teachers, more than 60 of whom are well-known artists, design experts, art historians and fine arts educationists, such as Professor Pan He, Chi Ke, Guo Shaogang, Yang Zhiguang, Yin Guoliang, Yin Dingbang and Chai Kezheng etc. There are also more than 140 associate professors and over 180 lectures. The former presidents are Prof. Hu Yichuan, Gao Yongjian, Guo Shaogang, Liang Mingcheng, Zhang Zhi’an. The current president is Prof. Li Ming.
The Academy runs a number of different programs: 3-year Postgraduate degree course for M.F.A., 4-year undergraduate degree course for B.A. It has continuing education students as well as non-credit students such as senior advanced students, general advanced students and trainees. The Academy now has over 249 postgraduates, 3317 undergraduates, 2,000 continuing education students and over 70 international students and students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
GAFA has extensively set up a friendly relationship of exchange and collaboration with certain universities and institutes abroad. It has invited foreign experts, scholars, honorary or guest professors from various countries to teach, give lectures and hold exhibitions in the Academy. Since 1987, GAFA has cultivated over 300 students from more than 18 different countries and areas like Canada, the U.S.A., Peru, Costa Rica, Italy, Holland, France, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Australia etc. and Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan. The Academy has two campuses, Changgang campus of nearly 100,000 square meters located in East Changgang Road in central Guangzhou, and a new campus of near 270,000 square meters situated in Guangzhou High Education Mega Center. The Postgraduate Department and the Continuing Education College remain on the Changgang campus, while the 4-year undergraduate program is carried out on the new campus. All classrooms, studios and workshops in both campuses are equipped with complementary facilities to cater for individual needs of different specialties. An atmosphere of creativity fills the beautiful campus with sculptures made by teachers and students on display all year. GAFA also takes pride in its art gallery, library, computer lab, the Lingnan Painting School Memorial Museum, art exchange center, gymnasium etc. All these facilities provide GAFA with excellent conditions for teaching, research and creation. GAFA offers fully-equipped living installations for students and staffs, such as student dormitories, an apartment block for international students and experts, a guest house, a dining hall, a bookstore, an art supplies shop and other shops on campuses, which makes an ideal and comfortable environment for students and staffs to live and study in.
GAFA is located in the City of Guangzhou, one of the largest modern cities in South China, which has a flourishing economy and a pleasant climate. The pretty Pearl River is piercing through the City quietly. Adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao, Guangzhou’ transport facilities are very convenient. It is easy to reach Guangzhou from Hong Kong by taking only 2 hours’ train or bus on the high way. Perfect road links, such as a number of different bus stations and a metro station nearby, ensure that Guangzhou has a convenient communications. Guangzhou is a famous historical city with various museums, libraries, theaters, and artificial sceneries. The region of Guangzhou is known for its delicious cuisine. The excellent integral environment of the city is favorable for the international students and students from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan to study and live here happily.