The 12th Confucius Institute Conference Held in Xi'an
The 12th Confucius Institute Conference was held in Xi’an in December 12. Liu Yandong, Vice Prime Minister of the State Council and Chairman of council of Confucius Institute Headquarter, attended the conference and made a speech.
The conference is themed with establishing community of human destiny with cooperation and innovation. Chen Baosheng, minister of Ministry of Education and vice president of Confucius Institute Head Office, presided over the conference. Hu Heping, the secretary of the provincial Party committee and provincial governor made a speech. Qiu Yuanping, director of Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, Jiang Xiaojuan, deputy secretary general of the State Council, Qian Yinan, the member of provincial standing committee and secretary General of the Provincial Party Committee, and Shangguan Jiqing, the mayor of Xi’an City, et al. attended the conference. Moreover, near 2500 people of college presidents and representatives of Confucius Institute, et al. from more than 140 countries and areas attended the conference.
Liu Yandong said that President Xi Jinping pointed that Confucius Institute is the window and bridge of communication between Chinese and foreign language and culture. Confucius Institute is not only owned by China but also shared by the world. In 13 years since its establishment, especially recent 5 years, Confucius Institute, with mutual efforts of both parties, adheres to sharing based on mutual establishment, and positively contributes to enhancement of friendship between China and all countries, and promotion of Chinese and foreign civilization communication and reference. At present, 146 countries and regions have established 525 Confucius Institutes and 1113 classes, and all kinds of students amount to 9.16 million.
Liu Yandong emphasized that Confucius Institute shall strive to become a bridge to enhance friendship and an accelerator for win-win cooperation by taking language communication as a link and civilization reference as a platform. Moreover, Confucius Institute shall optimize the layout, improve level of running schools, deepen reform of teachers, textbooks and teaching methods, strengthen training of local teachers, provide services for various localization needs in different countries, improve system and mechanism, play strength of Chinese and Foreign parties, create a inclusive, sharing, harmonious, co-existing cultural and educational exchanges brand, and make new contributions to construction of community of human destiny.
In the address, Hu Heping said that Shaanxi is an important birthplace of Chinese civilization and the starting point of ancient Silk Road. The profound cultural deposits promote vigorous development of Chinese here. Over the years, Shaanxi has always been supporting construction of Confucius Institute. Holding of this conference in Shaanxi is bound to being a new driving for Chinese to acquaint with the world and Shaanxi to expand opening-up scale. We will further adhere to spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress, follow ideology socialism with Chinese characteristics of President Xi Jinping in new era, stick to path of cultural development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, dig out rich cultural resources of Shaanxi, and continuously deepen cultural exchanges with other countries. We would like to take this conference as an opportunity to carry out practical cooperation with all participants in various fields such as industry, education, scientific research, talents and so on, and work together to contribute more to building the community of human destiny.
Representative present at the meeting spoke highly of the concept of human destiny community and “Belt and Road Initiative” of President Xi Jinping, said it would actively participate in, strengthen cooperation, and give full play to Confucius Institute in Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges and build a common community of human destiny.
Exhibition of Confucius Institute’s Performance in Running School
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Rich achievements of Shaanxi in spreading Chinese culture by constructing Confucius Institute
As the starting point of ancient Silk Road and important hub of new Eurasian Land Bridge, Shaanxi is featured with good geographical location, long history and culture, and abundant scientific and educational resources. The provincial Party committee and provincial government keep adhering to the priority of education development strategy, giving great importance to educational internationalization in connotation development, promoting all-round education cooperation and exchanges, expanding opening-up scale in education with great support of Ministry of Education and Confucius Institute Headquarter/Hanban, which significantly improves internationalized level of education in the whole province.
Shaanxi is featured with unique advantages in education internationalization and Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges. At present, 6 universities and 2 high schools in Shaanxi have established 11 Confucius Institutes and 2 Confucius schools abroad, playing an important role in promotion of Chinese language and culture.
Relying on multilingual resources, Xi'an International Studies University establishes 3 Confucius Institutes overseas, i.e. Confucius Institute of the Kazakhstan Eurasian University, Confucius Institute of National University of Laplata, Argentina, Confucius Institute of Prairie View A&M University, playing important role in foreign language talent cultivation and Chinese international promotion. The school has included construction of Confucius Institute into “the 13th Five-year Plan”.
In addition, Xi'an International Studies University also sets up a leading group of Chinese international promotion, to solve work problems in international Chinese promotion and faced by Confucius Institute. Its highly effective and enthusiastic work attitude has been appreciated repeatedly by foreign parties. It is worth mentioning that in the public welfare activity sponsored by CCTV, “seeking the most beautiful teachers 2017”, Deng Ying, the Chinese Dean of Confucius Institute of the Kazakhstan Eurasian University recommended by Xi'an International Studies University, was titled with “the most beautiful teacher nationwide in 2017”.
Northwestern University cooperates with foreign universities to build 2 Confucius Institutes at present, i.e. Confucius Institute at Philippines Bulacan State University and Confucius Institute at Northwest Nazareth University. The university will compile enhancing work of Confucius Institute into Course Development Planning in 13th Five-Year Plan and Comprehensive Reform Scheme of Foreign Cooperation and Exchange of Northwestern University, and continuously enhance role of Confucius Institute in Chinese teaching and cultural communication, which further develops work of constructing Confucius Institute.
Based on different teaching objects and leading demands in different countries, Confucius Institute at Northwest University carries out learning pointedly and achieves significant results. Confucius Institute at Philippines Bulacan State University witnessed more than 3700 students who register to learn Chinese in 2017, showing unprecedented expansion in teaching scale, and there were 92 Chinese teaching and training classes. In Confucius Institute at Northwest Nazareth University, Confucius Institute sets up Chinese class not only for students but also for residents in communities. The number of students learning Chinese is increased comparing that of the last year. From September 2017, Confucius Institute at Northwest University set up a teaching school officially in Skyview Middle School in Nampa City, and appointed a Chinese teacher volunteer to teach near 80 students to learn Chinese. The school that is one having most students learning Chinese will applying for setting up Confucius class.
In the spring semester of 2017, Confucius Institute at Northwestern University cooperated with Cross-culture Teaching and Research Office of Confucius Institute at Northwest Nazareth University to set up credit class of Chinese culture series lectures for all undergraduate students, which changed the status of mainly setting-up of Chinese language course in the past, and significantly increased number of registered students in the school.
Moreover, Confucius Institute provides students with more ways to understand Chinese and Chinese culture, such as holding Spring Festival Gala, dinner on New Year's Eve and cultural activities and academic lectures, as well as organizing Chinese culture summer camp and principal group for students of Northwest Nazareth University, making students to experience charm of Chinese language and culture in person.
