The Central Conservatory of Music, located on the site of the former Prince Chun's Residence ( in which Emperor Kuang-hsu was born ), in the southwest corner of the once Inner City of Beijing, is the only key institution of higher learning directly under the Ministry of Culture of the State Council among all schools of arts in China.

Though founded in 1950, the history of the Conservatory can be dated over half a century ago, for one of its forerunners, the Music Department of the Yenching University, was organized back in 1927, the others being the Music Department of the Literature and Art School of the North China University (1939), the National Academy of Music (1940), the Music Department of the National Peiping School of Arts (1946), the Chung Hwa Academy of Music (Hong Kong and Shanghai 1946), and the Music Department of the Northwest Lu Hsun institute of Literature and Art. Nevertheless the tradition and faculty of the National Academy of Music was mainly carried over by the Conservatory.

Since its founding, the Conservatory has evolved a complete system of pedagogy embracing courses of all levels starting from elementary classes up to Postgraduate Programs for master's and doctoral degrees. The Conservatory has now seven departments offering undergraduate programs of study in composition, conducting, musicology, voice and opera, piano, orchestral instruments, and traditional instruments for a period of four to five years; a six-year middle school giving courses in piano, orchestral instruments, traditional instruments and music theory; two three-year Primary schools, with one for children after school hours; and an evening university for adults. The Music Research Institute of the Conservatory is designated to conduct interdisciplinary researches for the aim of enriching the content of courses.

Having served for the past 40 years both as a music education center for training professional musicians and a research-composition-performance center for developing music education of society, the Conservatory has grown into a large institution of high prestige capable of offering the whole range of curricula for musical training, and representing the level of music education in China.

The current enrolled students number nearly 1,000 and the teaching and administrative staffs total about 700. Professors and associate professors make up one third of the faculty. Over 3,000 students to date have graduated from the Conservatory, including more than 40 students from Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Algeria, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. Many of the graduates are now the core members of music schools, art organizations and research institutes in all parts of China, and some of them have been ranked among the eminent Chinese musicians.

The Conservatory Campus occupies 5,3 hectors of land with a complex of old and new buildings covering an area of nearly 60,000 square meters. The Conservatory Music Library housing over 500,000 volumes is the largest of the kind in this country. The Conservatory owns over 500 pianos and a large number of other musical instruments; its educational facilities include an electronic music studio with advanced recording and video equipment, and a violin workshop.

The Journal of the Central Conservatory of Music, a quarterly published by the Conservatory, is widely distributed at hone and abroad. During the past ten years the Conservatory has intensified contacts with foreign countries for cultural exchange by inviting foreign eminent musicians and scholars to teach or give lectures at the institution and by sending its own faculty members and students in a planned manner to other countries for pursuing further studies, giving lectures or making performances. The China Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Chinese Traditional Musical Instruments Ensemble, the Conservatory Students Chorus, the Middle School Students Orchestra and the Primary School Students Performing Group, all composed of the Conservatory students and teachers, have visited many countries in Europe, America, Asia and Africa, and their performances were received with wide appreciation. A number of the Conservatory students have won prizes or awards at major international competitions. The Conservatory has also established regular intercollegiate exchange or cooperation with a number of foreign institutions of music.

During the past years, the conservatory has intensified contacts with foreign countries for cultural exchange by inviting foreign eminent musicians and scholars to teach or give lectures at the institution and by sending its own faculty members and students in a planned manner to other countries for pursuing further studies, giving lectures or making performances.

From 1956, the Conservatory has enrolled international students from over twenty countries. Many of them received the diplomas from the Conservatory. To further strengthen the external music education and music culture exchange, the International Music Exchange Center (IMEC) has been formally established in the Conservatory, it takes charge of admission for international students and music exchange.

Today the Conservatory's faculty, students and staff members are carrying forward the school sprit of "Hardworking, Seeking Truth, Solidarity and Forging Ahead" and strifing after a new phase of work and still greater contributions to the cause of socialist music of the motherland.

There are many facilities on campus, such as clinic, canteen, dining hall, musical instrument repair shop, bank and other services.

The Conservatory is situated in the center of Beijing. Many hotels, shopping centers and other entertainment facilities are just within walking distance.