Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) is a public university with emphasis in foreign languages and cultures, overseas economy and trade, and international strategies in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. The university offers 61 bachelor-degree specialties and teaches 18 foreign languages. In 2014, it boasted 20,189 undergraduate students and 2818 postgraduate and doctoral students, and over 12,000 students of continuing education and overseas students. The school has a state-level key discipline and seven province-level key disciplines. The state-level key discipline of Foreign Language and Literature is given priority in the third-phase development of Guangdong province's Project 211 (the provincial government's plan to build up 11 key universities, which is an extended version of the Chinese government's Project 211– in the 21st century, the government is to build up 100 top universities and 100 key disciplines). The school has established ties with international organizations and academic agencies. As South China's first university that signed a cooperation memorandum with the United Nations, it is one of the world's 21 universities qualified to train and supply language professionals for the organization. It is also the only university of foreign languages in China that is included in Campus Asia. History of the University In March 1964, the Central South Bureau of the Central Government, and the Party Committee and the People's Government of Guangdong Province decided to set up a foreign languages institute to train competent graduates to meet the demands of the increasing international exchanges. In November 1964, with the sanction of the Central Government, Guangzhou Foreign Languages Institute was established. In July 1965, it began to enroll 4-year bachelor's degree students and offered 4 specialties – English, German, French, and Spanish. It was located at the old site of Guangdong Petroleum School in the Northeast suburbs of Guangzhou. Since January 1966, Guangzhou Foreign Languages Institute had been operating under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education of the Central People's Government. In October 1969, in accordance with the CPC Central Committee's Notice to Transfer the Institutions of Higher Education to the Revolutionary Committees, the institute was delegated to Guangdong Province's Cultural Revolutionary Committee. In October 1970, Guangdong Provincial Revolutionary Committee restructured the institutions of higher education in Guangdong Province. As a result, Sun Yat-sen University Foreign Languages Department, Jinan University Foreign Languages and Foreign Trade Department, and Guanghzou Foreign Languages School were merged into Guangzhou Foreign Languages Institute. In the meantime, the institute