Welcome to the UC Berkeley Chinese Language Program!

The history of the Chinese Language Program at UC Berkeley traces back over a century to the establishment of the university's first endowed chair, the Agassiz Professorship of Oriental Languages and Literature, in 1872. This chair was endowed by Edward Tompkins, one of the university's founding fathers. Instruction in the languages and literatures of East Asia commenced in the same year.

Building upon this legacy, formal instruction in modern and classical Chinese began in the early years of the Department of East Asian Languages, which was founded at UC Berkeley in 1896. Under the guidance of John Fryer and subsequent holders of the Agassiz chair, the department developed a curriculum encompassing both modern and classical Chinese, with support from junior faculty. This foundational period laid the groundwork for the growth and evolution of the Chinese Language Program at UC Berkeley, shaping its focus on language proficiency, cultural understanding, and academic excellence.