Founded in March 1958, the School of Liberal Arts has experienced three stages: the Chinese Department of Nantong Normal University, the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Nantong Normal University and the School of Liberal Arts of Nantong University. The three stages  demonstrated four school-running levels: two-year and three-year college education from 1958 to 1984, undergraduate education from 1985 to this day, postgraduate education since 2007, and building of first-class discipline doctoral program for Chinese Language and Literature was permitted in 2010.

The School of Liberal Arts has 95 faculty members, including 93 full-time teachers, 26 professors and 25 associate professors. There are 66 teachers with doctoral degrees.There are 50  master supervisors and 1 famous national-level teacher. There are more than 1555 undergraduates and 109 postgraduates on campus.

The School of Liberal Arts now has Chinese Language and Literature (normal), International Education of Chinese Language, Secretarial Science, and Journalism. Chinese Language and Literature is the characteristic major construction site of national-level institution of higher education, the brand major of institution of higher education in Jiangsu Province . Chinese Language and Literature is a key major of institution of higher education in the “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan” in Jiangsu Province. The teaching team of Ancient Chinese Literature is the excellent teaching team of national-level institution of higher education, institution of higher education in Jiangsu Province . We won 1 second prize for national teaching achievement and 1 first prize for teaching achievement in Jiangsu Province.

Chinese Language and Literature have been granted the qualification to confer master’s degree in first-class disciplines, including 7 second-class disciplines: Ancient Chinese Literature, Chinese classical philology, Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature, Chinese Language and Linguistics, Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, Literature and Art, Comparative Literature and World Literature. In addition, there are also two master programs of professional degree of pedagogy: Chinese and International education of Chinese language. Chinese Language and Literature is a key discipline in the 11th, 12th ,13th and 14th  Five-Year Plans in Jiangsu Province. It has a key base of philosophy and social science in Jiangsu Universities (Research Center for Chuci), and Fan Zeng Art Museum .

In the past five years, teachers have published more than 105 papers in authoritative journals such as Literary Review, Literary Heritage, Historical Research, Zhongguo Yuwen and more than 99 monographs in publishing institutions such as  Zhonghua Book Company, The Commercial Press. Currently, we are taking charging of 23 national social science fund projects under research, including 4 major project; 39 provincial projects under research. We have won 13 provincial and ministerial-level social science achievement awards.

 The School promotes the Quality  Project greatly and attach great importance to cultivation of students’ overall quality.  The graduates from the school are very much welcome by employers. The school has won the Gold Award of the National Youth Entrepreneurship Competition, the Silver Award of the China Youth Public Welfare Competition, and the second prize of Educational Management Innovation for College Students in Jiangsu Province.