History of Art and Chinese Studies

History of art and Chinese studies is a combination that opens two distinct but complementary windows onto some of the most significant cultural traditions in the world. Art history develops your ability to analyse and interpret images, objects, buildings, and visual cultures across time and place, understanding them not just aesthetically but as products of specific social, political, and intellectual contexts. Chinese studies provides linguistic access and cultural understanding of a civilisation with one of the longest continuous artistic and intellectual traditions on earth, a tradition that has profoundly shaped the visual cultures of East Asia and is increasingly central to contemporary global culture and economics.

At the University of Edinburgh, this four-year, full-time degree takes advantage of the university's long-standing tradition of studying Asian literary and visual culture alongside its wider expertise in art from different periods and places. You will develop skills in visual analysis alongside growing competence in Chinese language, and you will engage with the histories of art and material culture from both Western and Asian perspectives. The combination is unusual and genuinely broadening, challenging assumptions about what counts as art and which visual traditions deserve scholarly attention.

Graduates from this combination work in museums and galleries, particularly those with collections of East Asian art, as well as in international business, cultural diplomacy, auction houses, art consultancy, publishing, and education. The combination of art historical knowledge with Chinese language and cultural competence is increasingly valued by organisations working at the intersection of Western and Chinese cultural and commercial life. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in art history, Chinese studies, curating, or East Asian area studies, deepening their expertise for research or specialist professional careers.