The China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOCFL) has established the Visiting Program for Foreign Scholars of Sinology to China in order to promote international cooperation and exchanges in Sinology research and to encourage and help foreign scholars of Sinology to acquire a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of China. The details of the program are as follows:

I. Eligibility requirements
The applicant must be:
1. Scholar who has the title of associate professor or higher and specializes in the fields of Chinese language, culture, history, law, politics or economy in a foreign educational or research institution or scholar with a PhD degree and at least 3 years working experience in related field (hereinafter referred to as the "researcher"); or:
2. Doctoral candidate who has made outstanding research achievements or is working on major projects in the above-mentioned fields.

II. Application materials
1. Introduction to published works and articles (Chinese or English version);
2. Plan of the visit to China (no less than 800 Chinese characters);
3. Reference letter by a famous scholar in the relevant field (Chinese or English version);
4. Invitation letter by a Chinese educational or research institution or a Chinese professor;
5. Completed Application Form of the Program in duplicate.

III. Submission of application materials
The application for the visit to China should be submitted in principle to the NOCFL three months in advance directly or by any of the channels as follows:
1. Local Chinese Embassy or Consulate;
2. Host educational or research institution in China;
3. Host scholar in China.

IV. Examination, approval and notification
The NOCFL will process the application materials it receives by examining the applicant’s academic background, research plan and host institution in China. It will decide whether an application will be approved or not within 30 days of receipt.
If the application is approved, the NOCFL will send to the applicant by mail its Funding Approval Notification and the Visa Application Form of the Chinese Ministry of Education and will at the same time notify the local Chinese Embassy or Consulate and the Chinese host institution of its approval. The NOCFL will also explain to the applicant in writing why his/her application is not approved.

V. Duration of the visit
The visit to China by a successful applicant (hereinafter referred to as the visiting scholar) is generally 2-4 weeks, or three months at the most if necessary.

VI. Funding
When a visiting scholar is in China, he/she can collect the funds through his/her host institution.
The funds are as follows:
A researcher will have 10,000 Chinese Yuan a month. If the visit is scheduled for less than a month, the funds will be paid by the day;
A doctoral candidate will have 6,000 Chinese Yuan a month. If the visit is scheduled for less than a month, the funds will be paid by the day.
Visiting scholars will be exempt from research costs and entitled to free library service. Accidental medical insurance will be provided by the NOCFL.

VII. International traveling expenses
The applicant may include in his/her application materials an application to the NOCFL for funding for his/her traveling expenses. When the application is approved, the NOCFL will buy an economy-class international round-trip air ticket for a direct route and send it to the visiting scholar.

VIII. Miscellaneous
The visiting scholar may apply for an "F" visa to China at the local Chinese Embassy or Consulate on the strength of the Funding Approval Notification of the NOCFL and the Visa Application Form of the Chinese Ministry of Education.
The reception of visiting scholars will be the concern of their host institutions in China.
Within one month after the completion of the visit, a visiting scholar needs to submit to the NOCFL an academic research report in Chinese (with an abstract included).