140 countries build 511 Confucius Institutes

　　The opening ceremony of the 11th Confucius Institute Conference is held in Kunming of southwest China's Yunnan province, on Saturday, December 10, 2016. About 2,400 delegates from 140 countries worldwide attend the two-day conference. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Li Lin]

511 Confucius Institutes and 1,073 Confucius Classrooms have been set up in 140 countries, the opening ceremony of 11th Confucius Institute Conference announced on Saturday in Kunming of southwest China's Yunnan province.

In 2016, the Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms throughout the world hold 2.1 million students and attract 13 million people to attend their cultural activities.

The Confucius Institute program was initiated in 2004 to satisfy the surging overseas demand for Chinese language learning. The Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, both named for the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, serve as non-profit public institutions aiming to promote Chinese language and culture in foreign countries.