����Dear international student,

����I would like to warmly welcome you to come and study at the institute of Chinese and international studies (ICIS)! The choice to studies at ICIS of Yunnan Normal University (YNNU) will rapidly improve your abilities in the Chinese language and in your major field of study, as well as offer you opportunities to experience the gorgeous scenery and diverse cultures of the many ethnic groups in Yunnan province, and make it very convenient for you to travel in southeast Asian countries, one of the neighboring countries in undertaking of overseas confusion colleges, and one of the universities responsible for training overseas Chinese language teaching volunteers. The institute of Chinese and international studies (ICIS) is responsible for international students' recruiting, teaching, management and service. Since we first started enroll international students in 1990s, more than 4000 students have studied here .Our current education includes Non-degree Chinese Language Training, Undergraduate, and Master Graduate .In 2004,around 800 international students studied in our university, and the total number of students in our 5 overseas Chinese Language Centers reached over 1000.
���� ICIS has a first-class team including 32 faculty members, 10 staff members, and more than 60 part-time teachers. Among the full-time teachers, 6 have obtained Ph.Ds, 17 have M.As, 3 are professors, and 21 have the National Certificate of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language .To assure high teaching quality, our institute limits the size of the classes to 10 students .In addition, we also offer individualized teaching .We design our one-to-one program (i.e. one teacher teaches one student) to meet each student's needs and interests. Furthermore, we offer various elective courses as well as special courses on technical ability .Our high teaching quality, detailed service, strong supervisory system, and scientific management have not only earned a good reputation for our institute, but also increased the number of international students by 30% per year during the past 4 years.
���� We aim at providing our students with top-rate service .For instance, we always pick up newly arriving students from the airport free of charge; we offer room reservation, apartment leasing information, or home-stay arrangements; and we care of residence and visa affairs .The National Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) is held on our campus every year, which ensures the students a convenient option for testing their Chinese proficiency. Moreover, attached to our university are three middle schools, a primary school, and a kindergarten, which provide our international students with convenient education for their children.

����To give our students a colorful experience, we often invite them to take part in the important cultural ceremonies or performances held in Kunming; we also arrange trips to visit factories, farms, schools, some scenic and historical spots, and arrange sports games such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, and hiking.

����Inheriting diversified cultural heritage from 25 ethnic groups, Yunnan is the most multiracial province in China, which made it a jewel of anthropological research. Kunming, the capital, has neither severe winter nor intense summer. Instead Kunming features eternal, with bright sunshine, fresh air, snow-white clouds, and various blooming flowers. Commodity prices in Yunnan are comparatively low. Living expenses are only about half of that found in other big cities of China. Traveling around Kunming, you will view the wonder of world famous Stone Forest, International Horticultural Exposition Garden, Minority Nationalities' Villages, Western Hills, Dounan Flowers Market��the biggest flower wholesale market in Southeast Asia, and other places of interest. During holidays, traveling to Dali in west Yunnan, the so called Geneva of East,you can experience the magnificent Cangshan Mountain, smooth Erhai lake, and the culture of the Bai people; visiting Lijiang in northwest Yunnan, world famous for its cultural heritage, you will encounter not only a picturesque and harmonious ancient town with clear streams, exquisitely constructed bridges and traditional wooden houses, but also brilliant Yulong Snow Mountain, located on the lowest latitude on the Northern Hemisphere, and world famous Tiger Leaping Gorge on the upper part of the junction of the Yangze River and the jinsha River; in Lijiang, you can also research the Naxi people's ancient Dongba culture, matriarchal society, and walking marriage customs around Luguhu Lake; touring in Shanggarila in northwest Yunnan, you will lose yourself in the tranquility and beauty of Tibetan paradise; getting to Nujiang in northwest Yunnan, you will appreciate a mysterious Grand Canyon of the East and the original culture of the Lisu and Dulong peoples; going to Xishuangbanna in southwest Yunnan, you will immersed both in the Dai people's Theravada Buddhism and the unique culture of Jinuo and Bulang peoples; still in Xishuangbanna, you can choose to explore tropical rain forest and vast jungles; stopping in Honghe in south Yunnan, you will find the secret workings of natural terraced fields from the bottom of valleys to the top of mountains and the hug mysterious karst caves; meanwhile, the Hani and Yi peoples of Honghe will gladly share their distinctive cultures with you there; dropping by Puzhehe in southeast Yunnan, you can discover cultures of the Zhuang and Miao peoples,and also the terrific natural scenery of Qiubei. In a word, by studying in YNNU, you can be enriched with both amazingly beautiful natural sightseeing and humanized landscapes, and gain the advantage of research on the multivariate cultures of Yunnan.

����Yunnan shares a border with Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, making it close to other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, as well as Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions. It takes only 1 to 3 hours to fly from Kunming to any these places; summer and winter vacations provide a good chance to travel to such places.

����Dear friend, regardless of your nationality, race, religious beliefs, or any disabilities; whether you are coming just for a short-term study or stay for a degree, as long as you agree to abide by the laws and regulations of China and our university, we are always ready to welcome you. In our university, everyone receives warm, friendly and equal treatment.My colleagues and I will try our best to satisfy your needs. It would be a wise choice for you to study at ICIS of YNNU, and we would be proud to have you as our student! Finally, on behalf of all the faculty and staff members of ICIS, I heartily invite you to study in our institute!