On November 15th, the 2024 World Chinese Language Conference hosted by the Ministry of Education, convened in Beijing. President Xi Jinping congratulated the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of Confucius Institutes via congratulatory letter.

Chen Jun, academician of the CAS Member and vice president of Nankai University, attended the conference. Confucius Institute full-time teacher Yu Ying of Nankai University attended the conference's opening ceremony as an Outstanding Teacher representative. Nankai University’s joint construction of the French Nuo Business Confucius Institute has been awarded the 2024 Global Chinese Language Alliance Digital Teaching Gold Course and 2024 International Chinese Teacher Certificate Exam Excellent Test Point awards. The Confucius Institute at the University of Andes in Colombia has been awarded the 2024 HSK Excellent Test Point award.

Taking the World Chinese Language Conference as an opportunity, on the afternoon of November 14th, the Second International Chinese Language Education Joint Conference of Nankai University and the 20th Anniversary Commemoration Conference of Confucius Institutes were held in Beijing. Chen Jun, Diana Cristina, Vice President of the Federal University of Cear á, Brazil, and representatives of the Chinese and foreign deans of Nankai Overseas Confucius Institute and Chinese teaching institutions from 8 countries attended the meeting.

Chen Jun delivered a keynote speech titled 20 Years of Wind and Rain, Together in the Same Boat, Composing a New Chapter at the joint meeting. He deeply reviewed the construction and development achievements of Nankai Confucius Institute over the past 20 years since its establishment as the first Confucius Institute in the Americas by Nankai University in 2004, as well as its role as a bridge and link in promoting exchanges between China and foreign countries. He affirmed the fruitful achievements made by both China and foreign countries in the new development of international Chinese education, and put forward hopes for deepening cooperation and cultural exchanges between China and foreign parties in the future, serving the community with a shared future for mankind and the global civilization initiative.

The keynote speech resonated widely among the attending representatives, who shared their personal experiences in promoting cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, and reported on the work summary for 2024 and the work plan for 2025. The meeting commended two Chinese deans who have made long-term contributions to the cause of Confucius Institutes. The person in charge of the Confucius Institute Office at Nankai University presided over the meeting.

At the meeting, Chen Jun held talks with Diana Cristina, and both sides highly praised the achievements and inter-school cooperation since the establishment of the Confucius Institute. They also signed an agreement to continue cooperation with the International Chinese Education Foundation to build the Confucius Institute.

It is reported that Nankai University is one of the earliest domestic universities to participate in the co-construction of Confucius Institutes, with a total of 117,000 trainees and over 520,000 participants. It has made outstanding contributions to telling the story of China well and promoting cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. This year, taking the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of Nankai Confucius Institute as an opportunity, the Confucius Institute of Nankai University and the overseas Confucius Institutes jointly built by us celebrated through various forms such as releasing 20th Anniversary commemorative collections and souvenirs, holding academic seminars, exhibitions of pictures and ancient calligraphy and painting, and cultural performances. (By Hao Zhiqiang, Trans. by Li Jing)

Ref： Nankai Univerisity News

To learn more about the World Chinese Language Conference please click https://conference2023.chinese.cn/home