CULTURE AND COMMUNI

By+Yin+Pumin

On September 27， the first Confucius Institute Day， all Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms worldwide， along with Hanban， the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing， held events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the institutesestablishment through providing cultural experiences to millions of local people.

The institutes， named after ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius （551-479 B.C.）， serve as non-profit entities designed to provide a better understanding of Chinese culture through language tuition and cultural events in overseas universities. The first such institute was established in Uzbekistan in 2004.

To date， China has opened 472 Confucius Institutes in universities and 730 Confucius Classrooms in elementary and secondary schools in 123 countries and regions. Fifty-thousand teachers and volunteers have been dispatched abroad， educating a combined total of approximately 850，000 students around the globe.

In a letter of congratulation to the institute on its 10th anniversary， Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Confucius Institutes have taught the Chinese language over the past decade， which has played a key role in promoting positive relations with other countries.

“Confucius Institutes belong to the whole world， not just China，” Xi wrote. “Let us continue to promote the civilization and cultures of all people， enhance communication and create a brighter future together.”

A bridge between cultures

The institute at Victoria University in Wellington， New Zealand， east of the international dateline， was the first to kick off the celebrative activities， while the one at the University of Hawaii was the last.

In the east of the United States， Confucius Institutes at Bryant University， the University of New Hampshire， the University of Massachusetts， the University of Rhode Island， and Central Connecticut State University held a Chinese Culture Night in Providence， Rhode Island. They also held a series of Chinese cultural events in the Waterfires Festival of Providence， attracting both local people and tourists.

Students from Bryant University and Chinas Zhejiang University preformed Chinese dragon dancing， a Kungfu show， Peking Opera and Chinese traditional music.

The Waterfires Festival is a widely attended event in New England， attracting tens of thousands of people every year.

Zhang Meifang， Chinese Deputy Consul General in New York City， said Confucius Institutes enrich the festival and serve as a bridge connecting various cultures and a path leading toward a harmonious and diversified community.

Established in October 2006， the Confucius Institute at Bryant University was the first Chinafunded institute in southern New England dedicated to the promotion of Chinese language and culture. Each year， some 2，000 people study the Chinese language as well as Chinese culture and arts here.

“Weve worked very hard in the past eight years. [Everyone agrees] it has been a very great way to promote cultural exchanges，”said Ronald K. Machtley， President of Bryant University.

Currently， the United States hosts 100 Confucius Institutes and 358 Confucius Classrooms， providing Chinese language instruction to as many as 220，000 American students in 2014， according to Hanban.

Susan Pertel Jain， Executive Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of California， Los Angeles （UCLA） and a professor of art， has allowed her own passion in Chinese art to be absorbed into the institutes programs.

“People need to be inspired. Chinese art often provides the strongest impetus to learn the language，” said Jain who holds degrees in Chinese language and Asian theater.

She emphasized that her institute is not only a place for learning the Chinese language， but also provides a space for local professionals in art to improve their interactions with Chinese counterparts during their work.

In Washington D.C.， there was no institution until 2013， when George Washington University opened the citys first. Since its launch， the Confucius Institute has served more than 100 working professionals in the D.C. area， including employees of foreign embassies， neighboring universities and the federal government， according to Steven Knapp， President of the university who is currently serving a two-year term as one of 10 members of the Council of Confucius Institute Headquarters， a combined governing body and advisory board for Confucius Institutes worldwide.

“One of the unique roles and opportunities we have as a Confucius Institute is not only to reach out to our own students and educate them in Chinese language， history and culture， but also to reach beyond our campus to our neighbors，” Knapp said while delivering the opening speech at a ceremony held by the Confucius Institute at George Washington University on September 26.

During the event， Greta Morris， acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy at the U.S. State Department， also gave a brief address congratulating the universitys Confucius Institute for spreading Chinese culture throughout Washington D.C.

“As a diplomat， as well as a state department official who has studied and used foreign language in my overseas postings， I know how important it is to be able to speak and understand another language，” she said. “Fluency in a foreign language is not only necessary for communication， but the key to understanding another culture.”

Eric Baker is studying at the George Washington Universitys Confucius Institute. The Virginia-based professional said the effort the university has put into its Confucius Institute has yielded results in his career. He currently works for Loginex International， where he specializes in international employee relocations. He hopes his studies at the Confucius Institute will help him turn his focus to East Asia.

Baker added that he feels at home at the center， where hes made many friends from different cultures. “Its a place where people of all ages and backgrounds， in all stages of their careers， can come to exchange their common interest in China，” he said. “It is truly a great community， and it offers a haven to those who want to be a part of it.”

Business is a major factor in motivating local people to learn Chinese at the Confucius Institutes， according to Li Ning， a teacher who taught Chinese at the Confucius Institute at Heidelberg University， Germany， from 2011 to 2013.

“From the perspective of the students， they have practical goals. Many of the students or their parents are business people working in China and traveling between Heidelberg and Beijing or other Chinese provinces many times a year. They believe that knowing some Chinese can help their business，” Li said.

In Europe， there are a total of 158 Confucius Institutes and 178 Confucius Classrooms， according to Hanban. Germany alone hosts 15 Confucius Institutes and three Confucius Classrooms.

The Confucius Institute at Heidelberg University was jointly established by Heidelberg University and Chinas Shanghai Jiao Tong University in April 2010. While offering language courses for the public at large， the institute also put focus on cultural offerings， said Li. Its main target groups were academics， university and secondary-school students， teachers of Chinese， and members of commercial enterprises.

“We often hold seminars， conferences and workshops—sometimes in conjunction with other institutes—on Chinese painting， calligraphy， music and literature， as well as courses on traditional Chinese medicine，” Li said.

The institute also organizes service functions and networking events for the entire Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region in collaboration with their partners there.

In Italy， the Confucius Institute at La Sapienza University in Rome was the first among the 11 Confucius Institutes to be established in the country. Its Italian director， Federico Masini， was emphatic about the success of the program so far.

“When we established the Confucius Institute in Rome eight years ago， many wondered how we could possibly bring together two cultures so different to each other. Today， thanks to mutual willingness and curiosity， we proved that it can be done，” Masini said.

Exchange between Italians and Chinese at the institute has even gone beyond just language learning.

“I have been practicing Tai Chi for five years， and that is why I also study the Chinese language，” said Piero Del Vecchio from Rome. He said a specific interest or goal would be usually needed in order to draw someone close to such a distant language.

“For some people， it is the hope to find more chances for their business， for students is the hope of a better future. For me， it was Tai Chi. I have found the wisdom I have derived from Tail Chi has benefited my body and mind，” he said.

Masini said the interaction between the two cultures would bring long-term benefits for Italian society. “Cultural exchanges with China will impact positively on our society as a whole. The exchanges would also contribute to preparing our future Italian citizens to be more openminded people.”

Comprehensively inclusive

In Cyprus， the University of Cyprus and the Beijing Institute of Education officially initiated cooperation on October 27， marking the event with an inauguration ceremony for the Confucius Institute at the university.

President of the University Nicos Anastasiades， said this valuable interaction would lead to innovative and progressive collaboration in the academic， research， and educational fields.

In Hungary， the Central and Eastern Europe Chinese Language Teachers Training Center began its first training course at the Confucius Institute of Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest in June. Dozens of local Chinese language teachers from eleven Central and Eastern European countries came to attend training.

In Africa， China operates 42 Confucius Institutes at many of Africas top universities， stretching from Cape Town to Cairo.

China also runs one of the worlds largest short-term training programs. The African Talents Program， launched in 2012， aims to train 30，000 African professionals in China between 2013 and 2015， and 18，000 African trainees will benefit from full scholarships to study at Chinese universities under the scheme.

In Ghana， its first and only Confucius Institute was established at the University of Ghana in May 2013. It was established to help Ghanaians learn the Chinese language， enjoy Chinese culture and help to develop and further fortify China-Ghana relations， said Mei Meilian， Director of the Ghanaian Confucius Institute.

Ignatius Suglo is a graduate of the University of Ghana. Having won the Special Prize for the overall best position in the Chinese Bridge Competition as a student， he went on to represent his country in the worldwide Chinese Bridge Competition this year.

The Chinese Bridge Competition is a largescale international contest sponsored by Hanban that aims to prompt the enthusiasm of students worldwide in learning Chinese and to strengthen the global understanding of the Chinese language and culture.

Suglo went into the world competition in Beijing and finally won the second place among all the African students. He was among the first batch of students at the University of Ghana to begin learning Chinese.

“Looking back after many years， I think it has paid off，” Suglo said. He believes learning Chinese has broadened his horizons especially on world affairs. Having studied with Chinese students， he has also learnt a lot of their culture.

In Asia， China has also established many Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms. Hanbans figures show that there are 102 Confucius Institutes and 58 Confucius Classrooms today.

Thailand hosts 12 Confucius Institutes and 11 Confucius Classrooms， the most in Asia. The Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University was launched in 2006， making it the oldest in the country.

“The school has become a benchmark Confucius Institute for Thailand and the rest of Asia，” said Wang Guibin， Director of the Confucius Institute at the university.

According to Wang， his institute has the most students learning Chinese in Thailand.“This semester alone， more than 6，900 students registered at different teaching centers of our Confucius Institute，” he told Beijing Review.

Besides teaching Chinese， the institute is also committed to promoting Chinese culture among different groups of people in Thailand.

Today， with a new classroom building ready to open in December， the Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University is set to become the larg- est in the world. “With the best facilities， I have confidence we will take our institute to a higher level in promoting cultural communications between the peoples of China and Thailand，”Wang said.

Like those in other areas， the Confucius Institutes in Central Asia and Transcaucasia have also seen rapid development. According to Hanban， the number of registered students in the region stood at 24，000 in 2013， up 33.3 percent year on year.

Alina Molokova has been learning at the Confucius Institute in Tashkent， Uzbekistan， for three years. She now speaks fluent Chinese and is has also taken up calligraphy. Like Molokova， other students regularly gather to practice what they say is the most difficult form of writing， but an intriguing one at that.

“Calligraphy is so interesting. I really love Chinese， and I hope to attend university in China，” Molokova said.

“Students are interested in writing with a brush， not because they want to be calligraphers themselves. We want them to have some interest in Chinese culture in general，”Tashkent Confucius Institute teacher Tuo Jianming said.

With one side hoping to spread its cultural influence in the region and the other eager to learn about it， Confucius Institutes are welcomed in cities across the region.

Many students say that as a former part of the Soviet Union， they often put great emphasis in learning about Russia and other ex-Soviet Bloc countries， while knowing little about the economic powerhouse that lies just next door.

“When two peoples try to develop trade ties， mutual understanding between their cultures is crucial. Confucius Institutes help people learn the language for practical purposes，” said Taissya Marmontova， an assistant professor with the Regional Studies Department of Eurasian National University in Kazakhstan.

Atuoda， a staff member of the China Southern Airlines office in Bishkek， now works for the ticketing department. His Chinese impresses every customer. He has also learned Chinese at the Confucius Institute at Bishkek Humanities University. His Chinese proficiency helped him get the job.