Since its establishment in 1902, Shanxi university has always attached great importance to the drawing teaching skills and art awareness of students. Early on, it offered drawing course both in the Chinese department and Western department. In 1951, it prepared and established teaching and research office of fine arts; the speciality of fine arts and music in Shanxi institute of art were incorporated into Shanxi university in 1962, which established the department of Art; in 1990, the fine arts major became a separate department; and the year 1996 witnessed the establishment of the college of fine arts. During the sixty years, the college of fine arts has formed a cultural tradition of "Ink painting should follow the times, fine arts should promote the spirits”,a academic orientation of “ integrating essence of Chinese and western art, promoting Shanxi cultural characteristics”, and a fines study style of “study and relish the beauties of arts, blaze new trails in a pioneering spirit”. 

School of Arts has seven majors, including Fine Arts, Painting (Chinese Painting, Calligraphy, Oil Painting, Print Making, Experimental Art), Sculpture (Traditional Sculpture, Material and Technology), Environment Design (Interior Design, Landscape Design), Public Art, Visual Communication Design, Digital Media Arts, and has thirteen specialties. At present, there are one doctoral program of arts and aesthetics, three first-level master programs of artistic theory, fine arts and design studies, also has MFA education center. We also establish institutes of art studies, of calligraphy studies, of design arts studies, of landscape science studies, of art heritage protection, of artistic creation and research, of ceramics and public art research and so on. In Shanxi Province, Fine Arts of our school is the key construction subject, and Art Design is a characteristic specialty. Also our art comprehensive laboratory is the provincial experimental teaching demonstration center.

The college of fine arts will inherit the hundred-year school-running tradition of Shanxi university, follow the holistic school-running thought, stand firm to promote internal development and characteristic development. It insists on paying equal attention to technicality and applicability, laying stress on scientific research cooperation and academic exchange, serves for the local economic and social development on its own initiative, innovative training model and develop new road of fine arts and design education. We will make our college a talents training base of Regional cultural and creative industries, and a result transfer base of of fine art innovation and modern art design, thus make it a high-level, research-based college of fine arts with distinctive regional characteristics which can play an exemplary and leading role among same kind colleges throughout the country.