Founded in 1906, the department has an exceptional scholastic tradition that brinp together research streams from Japan, China and the West in formidable fashion. It has developed an archive of primary resources for over a century to support education and research, and this has now grown into one of the best university collections of Sinology resources anywhere in the world (including many precious books and electronic resources). These primary sources can be accessed freely by our students.

Undergraduate students are required, above all else, to acquire the skills necessary to read texts with linguistic accuracy and precision, whether in modern or classical Chinese. This goal is pursued in small classes using original texts (which may involve extensive surveys of usage); students then pursue their own research interests based on that foundation, and finalize their work as a graduation thesis. In the process of their scholarly training, students must develop patience and perseverance, but acquiring the ability to read original texts with accuracy and proficiency will give them a great sense of accomplishment. Graduate students are expected to have the ability to conduct original research on their own initiative, plus proficiency in the languages essential for research work, such as Chinese, Japanese, and English. It is strongly recommended that they fully grasp and absorb the tradition of Sinology in Japan before starting to write a dissertation. Graduate students, with the exception of native speakers of Chinese, are urged to study for a few years in China or Taiwan to familiarize themselves with the local academic community and culture while improving fluency in Chinese.

The department publishes a semiannual academic journal in Japanese Chūgoku Bungakuhō (Journal of Chinese Literature).

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• http://www.bun.kyoto-u.ac.jp/chinese_lang_lit/cll-top_page/ (in Japanese)