NAA was formerly known as the East China Arts School, which was joined by fine arts schools in Shanghai and Suzhou along with the fine arts and music sections of the arts department of Shandong University.

With China's late distinguished painter and arts educator Liu Haisu as one of its founders, the academy has become a significant "cradle of art talents."

In addition to Liu, a great number of contemporary cultural celebrities, famous artists and educators, such as Cai Yuanpei, Zhang Daqian and Feng Zikai, once worked in the academy.

Currently, NAA offers 35 specialized subjects, including fine arts, artistic designing and music. It is one of the first arts academies in the country approved to confer doctorate degrees in fine arts.

It also has computer-based classes for artistic designing, which are first-class in Asia.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2002)