The College of Literature of Nanjing University can be traced back to Sanjiang Normal School founded in the 28th year of Guangxu in Qing Dynasty (1902) and Christian Huiwen College founded in the 14th year of Guangxu (1888). The Department of Discipline Construction started in Nanjing Normal University and was established in 19 14. Since then, it has gone through the periods of National Southeast University, National Fourth Sun Yat-sen University, Jiangsu University, National Central University and Nanjing University. 1952 Nanjing university was restructured, Jinling university was merged into Nanjing university, and the China language and literature department of Nanjing university was established. In 2007, it was renamed the College of Literature of Nanjing University, with departments of literature, linguistics, drama, film and television art, literature, university Chinese and international sinology. China's language and literature discipline is the first batch of first-class national key disciplines and the first batch of national talent training and scientific research bases for basic liberal arts disciplines.

The School of Overseas Education of Nanjing University is a school engaged in teaching and researching Chinese as a foreign language, aiming at cultivating foreign students and domestic talents who teach Chinese as a foreign language and spread language and culture in China.

The college has Chinese Department, Chinese as a foreign language department, Chinese and foreign cultural research institute, postgraduate teaching and research section, short-term training department and research and development center for teaching Chinese as a foreign language. It recruits Chinese undergraduates (international students), Chinese undergraduates as a foreign language and graduate students of Chinese international education at home and abroad every year, and also recruits Chinese advanced students from all over the world.

The College is a Chinese training base for the Chinese Department of the United Nations, Hanban of China, the Victorian Ministry of Education of Australia and the American Chinese Pilot Project. It is also the test center of China National Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) and National Chinese Teaching Ability Test.

The College has received more than 20,000 international students from 120 countries and regions, and trained and brought up a group of international talents with advanced Chinese level and China cultural literacy, some of whom have become celebrities in foreign political circles, business circles, diplomatic circles and the press; Some have become world-renowned sinologists and scholars.

The college has well-equipped student dormitories, libraries and multimedia classrooms, which provide good study and living conditions for international students.