History of Chinese Studies

The department of Chinese Studies, currently the youngest department in the Faculty of Arts of Nnamdi Azikiwe University and so far the only department of Chinese Studies in Nigeria, was established in 2014. Its establishment, which came after seven years of the inception of the Confucius Institute at the university, owes much to the foresight of Prof. Joseph Ahaneku (then Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University), the unstinting benefaction of Dr Ji Nengwen (then Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute) and the pertinacity of Dr Sunny Ifeanyi Odinye. (It was Dr Odinye who originated and promoted the idea to establish a department that would address the need for degree study in Chinese Studies at the university). It took off with fifteen students most of who have since completed their master’s study in China. The following were the pioneer teaching staff of the department: Prof. Nkechinyere Nwokoye; Dr (now Prof.) Alexander Anedo; Dr Ifeanyi Sunny Odinye; Dr (now Prof.)  Chuka Enuka; Dr Ji Nengwen; Mrs (now Dr) Gladys Udechukwu; Mrs (now Dr) Chinenye Okoye; Mr Yang Song; Mr Wu Qunbin; Mr Xu Wei; Mr Huang Changbin; Mrs Tang Qiaohua; Ms Wang Shan. The department currently has a 20-strong teaching staff and a 6-strong administrative staff. Until the 2018/2019 session when some alumni of the Confucius Institute who had finished their master’s study in different Chinese universities joined the department, the Confucius Institute supplied 70% of the department’s teaching staff. The department has been headed by the following since its inception:

Name	Designation	Tenure
Dr Sunny Ifeanyi Odinye	Coordinator	2014-2015
Dr (then Mrs) Chinenye Okoye	Coordinator	2015-2019
Dr Sunny Ifeanyi Odinye	Coordinator	2019-2020
Dr Sunny Ifeanyi Odinye	Head of Department	2020-2022
Dr Anas Elochukwu	Head of Department	2022-

Xiamen University (the Chinese university overseeing the Confucius Institute) supports the department in six different ways. Firstly, it hosts most of the students who study in China on the “3 + 1” immersion/exchange programme. (Under the programme, students spend their third year in China.  The first set of beneficiaries of the programme went to China in 2018). Secondly, it supports staff development with diverse opportunities of study in China—scholarships, workshops, etc. (In fact, all local teachers in the department have studied in China, courtesy of such support). Thirdly, the students of the department take HSK classes at the Confucius Institute free of charge. Fourthly, most of the first-year language courses are taught by the Chinese lectors, with a view to giving the students a sound footing in the language. Fifthly, the department is allowed free use of the Confucius Institute’s library, language laboratory and other facilities. Lastly, graduates of the department receive scholarships to study for master’s degrees in China. (So far xxx graduates have benefited from the gesture). The department has one of the lowest student wastage rates in the university.