Towards an Academy-Oriented Confucius Institute

A talk with the director of the Confucius Institute of the Geneva University about how the institute brings two countries closer.IN a time where Chinese language training is booming and Confucius Institutes are burgeoning,the Confucius Institute at the

An Analysis on Students’Chinese Learning Needs of Confucius Institute at Hasanuddin University,Indonesia

Hasanuddin University in Indonesia through a questionnaire,the key point is to understand the learning needs of students and to make suggestions for optimizing the curriculum and teaching methods of Chinese teachers.Due to the limited time and conditions,there are some deficiencies in this study.As there are many factors affecting the learning needs,the questionnaire may not cover the whole content,it can only reflect the learning needs of learners,and cannot be used as an accurate measure.The study focused on comprehensive learning needs,so it was not compare the learning needs of students from the two teaching sites,nor was it compare the learning needs of male and female learners,these questions also require precise analysis by subsequent researchers.In addition,although the optimization of the proposal has a certain practicality,but still need to practice and improve.

A Bridge of Cross-Cultural Communication Confucius Institutes in the Eyes of Foreign University Presidents

We now hold 200 classes in the Sheffield Confucius Institute,and 14,000 local residents have studied in it.Besides the cooperation with Chinese universities to offer language courses,our focus is to deepen mutual understanding between the two nations’business partners.

Problems and Countermeasures of Chinese Cultural Communication about the Confucius Institutes in Africa

Chinese cultural communication in Africa has developed quickly under the framework of the Confucius Institutes. The Confucius Institutes in Africa have opened multilevel Chinese classes and held rich and colorful cultural activities. At the moment, however, Chinese cultural communication through the Confucius Institutes in Africa is still confronted with problems, such as the difficult communication environment, lack of local high-level Chinese talents, language and cultural differences, and degree of acceptance. This paper puts forward strategies for Chinese cultural communication: Constructing models with multiple Chinese teaching spots supported by individual Confucius Institutes; strengthening the training of high-level talents for Chinese cultural communications; pushing forward localization of Chinese cultural communications; focusing on the interactivity of language in cultural communications; and establishing a Chinese cultural communication model with multiple subject participation.

A Study on the Current State of the Chinese Proficiency Test(HSK)at the confucius Institute in Sofia,Bulgaria

The Chinese Proficiency Test(HSK)is a standardized test on Chinese language skills which has been widely introduced both in and outside China and has been playing an important role in the spread of Chinese learning all over the world.In 2003 Bulgaria hosted a beginner level HSK exam,which made it the first location to hold a Chinese language proficiency test on the Balkan Peninsula and ever since it has been very successful.The current paper provides a research on the current state of the Chinese Proficiency Test(HSK)аt the Confucius Institute in Sofia,Bulgaria,analyzes the factors related to the promotion of the Chinese Proficiency Test(HSK)and on this basis presents a few feasible recommendations to the benefit of the Chinese Proficiency Test(HSK).

Let’s play tic-tac-toe: Confucius Institutes versus American Cultural Centres

China and the United States(US)have established respective cul-tural institutions in each other,namely the Confucius Institute and the American Cultural Centre.While they differ in the estab-lishment background and management model,in their counter-part countries’view,both Confucius Institutes and American Cultural Centres serve the function of public diplomacy as a‘quasi-diplomatic agency’,attracting extensive political attention.When comparing the history of their developments in the US and China,a similar trend of‘rise-to-fall’and‘positivity-to-negativity’can be observed.The stagnation of American Cultural Centres in China and the crisis of Confucius Institutes in the US both origin-ate from the same source—political pressure.The development paths of both institutions are closely related to the development and transformation of Sino–US political relations.In this process,China’s attitude is relatively moderate in an attempt to maintain the continuous development of a friendly bilateral relation,while the US is anxious about China’s rising status as its economic and strategic competitor,thereby adjusting its China policy and imposing rigid political controls over Confucius Institutes.Affected by the Sino–US trade dispute and the COVID-19 pandemic,Sino–US relations deteriorate further;accordingly,the future out-look of Confucius Institutes in the US is worrying.However,with abundant uncertainties,the future of the Confucius Institute remains to be further studied.

Interculturality,Identity,and Power:Experiences of Volunteer Chinese Teachers at Overseas Confucius Institutes

With the rapid expansion of Confucius Institutes globally,the Hanban launched a Volunteer Chinese Teachers(VCT)Program with the purpose of selecting a large number of college graduates and graduate students from Chinese universities to fill vacancies for overseas Chinese teachers.In spite of the multitude of students participating in the program,there has been a paucity of research attention on them.How do these students,most of whom have never been abroad before,manage their life in their host country and negotiate their new role as a VCT in an overseas Confucius Institute?What are their intercultural experiences as they venture into a new country to serve as a native teacher of Chinese?Based on in-depth interviews with a dozen VCTs teaching in linguistically and culturally different contexts,this study seeks to examine the dynamics of interculturality,identity and power relations involved in their overseas language teaching.

News coverage of Confucius Institutes in the pre-Trump era

A novel dataset is presented that reveals a general pattern of declining favourability in news stories about Confucius Institutes(CIs)from 2006 through 2015 in six English-speaking countries:the US,the UK,Canada,Australia,India and Kenya.There are sig-nificant differences in mean favourability and time trends across countries,however.Decreasing trends in favourability are observed in the US and Canada,in particular,whereas Kenya and India’s time trends are nil or possibly increasing.We report empir-ical models of favourability conditional on GDP per capita,trade with China and the number of CIs across country-year observa-tions.Consistent with Pew polling data,our data reveal an inter-esting pair of conflicting income effects.High-income countries tend to be more negative and less positive on CIs than low-income countries overall.Within-country positive shocks to real GDP per capita,however,are positively associated with favourabil-ity after cross-country differences in income levels are absorbed by country fixed effects.The number of CIs in a country has mixed effects on the favourability of news coverage about CIs across country-year observations.Despite billions of dollars spent on public diplomacy by the Chinese government,our findings suggest that its return on investment in public diplomacy in the form of CIs may not be as expected.

The path,value and limits of the Confucius Institute in carrying out public diplomacy

On the basis of Chinese language teaching and cultural communication activities,the Confucius Institute carries out a variety of cultural exchange activities between China and the host country,which has become an effective way for China to carry out public diplomacy and participate in global cultural governance.By analysing the concepts of public diplomacy,cultural diplomacy,people-to-people exchange and cultural governance,this paper summarises three typical paths of Confucius Institutes in carrying out public diplomacy:‘from the government to foreign nationals’,‘from the government to Chinese citizens and then to foreign nationals’,and‘from the government to foreign nationals and then to foreign nationals’.The value of the Confucius Institute in carrying out public diplomacy is reflected on the level of national diplomacy,international exchange and global governance.Furthermore,the capability of the Confucius Institute as a language and cultural communication institution initiated by China and in cooperation with other countries in carrying out public diplomacy is limited.This limitation,on one hand,originates from the nature of the Confucius Institute as a language and cultural communication organisation,and on the other hand,is related to the difficulties and challenges that China faces in its participation in global governance.Public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy are based on national interests.They also transcend national interests and,furthermore,become a way for a country to actively participate in global cultural governance.The experience of and challenges faced by the Confucius Institute can have important implications for China in participating in global cultural governance.

Cultural Diplomacy and Internationalization of Higher Education:The Experience of Three Confucius Institutes in Canada

This paper is based on a study of three Confucius Institutes in Canada.The research aims to explore the nature of operations at Confucius Institutes,ranging from the selection of partnering Chinese universities,to the program planning at each individual site.Specifically,it focuses on the perceived impacts of the Confucius Institute partnership on the Canadian hosting institutions.Data was collected through interviews with key administrative staff from three Canadian universities.The theoretical framework of constructivism from international relations theory and concepts drawn from the literature on the internationalization of higher education were used to analyze the findings.Key issues revealed from the data include the host’s perception of Confucius Institutes as China’s cultural diplomacy and soft power strategy,the progression of partnerships between Canada and China over time,and university autonomy.

Are Confucius Institutes Building Blocks or Stumbling Blocks for Foreign Students in China: An Empirical Study of 190 Countries (1999–2015)

Purpose:This study investigates the impact of Confucius Institutes on China’s international education initiatives.First,it examines whether the establishment of Confucius Institutes has a gravitational effect on the scale of foreign students coming to China.Second,it discerns whether there are any association between the establishment of Confucius Institutes and the attributes of foreign students based on the type of program they select.Third,it identifies whether there are any differences in the impact of Confucius Institutes based on constraints such as the number of foreign students,income levels,cultural distance,and geographical endowment.Design/Approach/Methods:Based on the trade gravity model and the push–pull theory,we estimated a two-way fixed-effects model using panel data of all source countries from 1999 to 2015.Findings:Results show that Confucius Institutes have helped China attract more foreign students on Chinese government scholarships,with each Institute increasing such enrolment by 1.3%.However,Confucius Institutes have resulted in a drop in the total number of foreign students studying in China,especially nondegree students.This substitution effect means that the Institutes actually help China improve the composition of its foreign students.Further heterogeneity analysis shows that the substitution effect is primarily driven by the main source countries.Accordingly,this study suggests that China should establish more Confucius Institutes in Africa and Eastern Europe to maximize the catalyzing effect of Confucius Institutes.Originality/Value:In contrast to previous studies on foreign scholarship in China,this study examines all 190 source countries from 1999 to 2015.This comprehensive study also explores the heterogeneous effects of foreign students on trade across economic,cultural,and geographical domains.

Confucius Institute Promotes Friendly Exchanges

The Republic of San Marino is among the first European countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and the bilateral friendship has enjoyed stable, sound and sustained development. On March 29, 2015, the first Confucius Institute in San Marino was co-founded by the

Confucius Institute invites contributions

Confucius Institute is an officially published magazine with an ISSN and CN that is produced by Confucius Institute Headquarters(Hanban).The main focus of the magazine is reporting on Confucius Institute activities,Chinese language education,and cultural topics,with the goal of increasing cultural communication between the Confucius Institute and all nations of the world.At present,the 80-page bimonthly magazine is published in eleven languages(in Chinese bilingual editions)and is available in 130 countries and regions.We are now inviting authors from around the world to contribute articles of the following types:

The Globalization Pace of Confucius Institutes

Elizabeth,who is from Ireland,is in her late 60s.She adores Chinese fiction,especially the works of Yu Hua and Mo Yan.Thanks to the classes she has been taking at the Confucius Institute for almost a decade,she can read Chinese well.Wang Hong,the Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute at the University of Helsinki,in Finland,teaches her current course.'Elizabeth never

泰国孔子学院中医药文化传播研究

2003年以来泰国中医药发展迅速,泰国高校与中国医学院建立紧密的合作关系,如东方大学孔子学院和华侨崇圣大学中医孔子学院,这对于泰国中医药文化的传播具有里程碑式的意义。在梳理泰国孔子学院发展概况的基础上,旨在对两所孔子学院——东方大学孔子学院、华侨崇圣大学中医孔子学院的中医药文化传播方式、特点及影响因素进行深入讨论。通过探究以上问题,提出三点对策:其一,提升师资力量,保证优质教学;其二,完善教学资源,编写本土化的中医汉语教材;其三,多样化推广中医药文化,拓宽中医药文化传播途径,以期为中医孔子学院实现可持续发展提供参考。

多元文化背景下澳大利亚汉语语言政策与实践研究

澳大利亚是一个移民人口众多、移民历史悠久的国家。澳大利亚政府于二十世纪七十年代实行多元文化政策,并颁布多项语言政策以改善语言环境。在梳理澳大利亚汉语语言政策与汉语生态的历史演变基础上,以霍恩伯格(Hornberger)的语言政策与规划综合理论模型为指导,分析澳大利亚三份官方语言政策针对汉语的规划方式,并以孔子学院为例探究当下汉语生态特别是汉语教学的困境。研究发现,多元文化主义背景下澳大利亚汉语语言政策较全面地参考了语言政策与规划理论,且总体趋向于对语言经济价值的重视,汉语生态呈现不断经济化的态势。语言教育在汉语语言规划中发挥着不可替代的作用,国家政治诉求已成为当下影响汉语教学的重要因素。

国际中文教育研究现状、热点与趋势——基于CiteSpace的文献计量分析(2019—2023)

通过文献计量可视化分析软件CiteSpace对中国知网(CNKI)收录的2019—2023年在中文核心期刊和专业普刊上发表的国际中文教育领域的论文进行统计分析发现:国际中文教育领域的核心作者群已基本形成,发文机构以高校为主,但相互间的合作较少;研究热点聚焦孔子学院发展、国际中文教学、华文教育和国际中文教师教育四类;未来研究将持续关注国际中文教学模式、区域国别中文教育、国际中文教学资源、“中文+职业技能”教育和国际中文教育标准建设。

波兰中文教育发展的现状、因素和挑战

伴随波兰对国民外语能力提升的重视和中波两国关系的加强,波兰人对中文学习的需求越来越旺盛。波兰的中文教育已经覆盖幼儿园、中小学、高等教育各层次。中文在波兰的发展主要集中在较为发达的西部和南部地区,其他地区的中文教育尚处于萌芽阶段。孔子学院和孔子课堂是中文传播的重要机构。波兰中文教育的发展受汉语传播的历史、国际关系、经济、语言政策等诸多因素的影响,同时存在师资、教学资源、传播方式等诸多问题。未来,波兰中文教育的在地化和数字化转型是发展趋势。