The Research Institute of Foreign Literature (RIFL) at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) was established in 1984 with the approval of the former State Education Commission (now the Ministry of Education). As a university-level research institution, it is dedicated to the study of foreign literature, postgraduate education, the editing of academic journals, and academic and cultural exchanges. Its founding director was Professor Wang Zuoliang, a renowned scholar in English language and literature, educator, translator, and writer.
Operating within the general discipline category of Foreign Language and Literature, the institute concentrates its research on English, German, French, and Russian literature, along with comparative literature and cross-cultural studies. With a primary emphasis on European and American literature, the institute has developed distinctive strengths in literary theory and comparative literature, forming an interconnected academic research network. It has successfully undertaken and completed numerous national and provincial-level research projects.
The institute comprises several research divisions, including the English Literature Division, the German Literature Division, the French Literature Division, the Comparative Literature Division, and the editorial office of Foreign Literature. Launched in 1980, Foreign Literature is one of China’s leading academic journals in the field, indexed as a CSSCI (Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index) source journal, a Peking University Core Journal, and an AMI Core Journal (Tier A) in Comprehensive Evaluation Report on Chinese Humanities and Social Sciences Journals.
Annually, the institute organizes a national thematic academic symposium under the auspices of the Foreign Literature editorial office. It also hosts regular academic exchange events such as the “Literature and Culture Forum” and the “Literary Theory and Cultural Studies Salon”. In recent years, the institute has held yearly postgraduate forums and online summer workshops for advanced undergraduate students nationwide. Additionally, it organizes specialized seminars and symposia as needed for research and teaching purposes. The institute maintains collaborative relationships with numerous universities and research institutions both domestically and internationally.
As of May 2025, the institute has nine permanent staff members, including seven researchers and instructors, and two academic journal editors. The institute also employs one full-time administrative staff member (A-position), one part-time editorial assistant (B-position), three postdoctoral researchers, two retired doctoral supervisors rehired as advisors, and one retired editor rehired for editorial work. Currently, there are 46 enrolled students, including 20 master’s students and 26 doctoral students.
