China Academy of Art (simplified Chinese: 中国美术学院; traditional Chinese: 中國美術學院; pinyin: Zhōngguó Měishù Xuéyuàn) (also translated China National Academy of Fine Arts) is a fine arts college under the direct charge of the Ministry of Culture of China. It was founded in Hangzhou in 1928 by the government of the Republic of China and the renowned educator Cai Yuanpei. It was the first art university and first graduate school in Chinese history. At the time, China Academy of Art's goal was to promote fine arts education as a replacement for religion in the then war-torn China. The fine arts has been held as equal to a religion at the institution for almost eight decades. The academy has many renowned artists in its alumni and is considered one of the most prestigious art institutions in the cou