Yunnan University of Finance and Economics

The Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (YUFE) was established as the Yunnan Financial Cadres Training School in early 1951. Its goal was to train Communist Party officials in basic financial and accounting management skills. In 1958 the school was combined with four other training institutions to become the Yunnan Institute of Finance and Trade (YIFT). During the Cultural Revolution the school was shuttered for seven years, not fully resuming operation until 1978. The following year the provincial government announced a plan to transform YIFT into a full-fledged institution of higher education, extending its offerings to four-year bachelor's degrees.

In 1998, the People's Government of Yunnan Province announced a plan to merge the Yunnan Economic Management Cadres College with the Yunnan Institute of Finance and Trade. In 1999 the institution was awarded full university status, and renamed the Yunnan University of Finance and Economics.