The Confucius Institute, a bridge between China and the world

Prior to the end of 2017, China had built 525 Confucius Institutes and 1113 Confucius Classrooms in 146 countries and regions, which have played an important role in strengthening cooperation in education and cultural communication between China and other countries, meanwhile improving mutual understanding and friendship.

In America

On March 28, 2018, several American government officials including Senator Benjamin Louis Cardin of Maryland sent certificates of special recognition to the Confucius Institute at the University of Maryland for its 13th anniversary. The institute's director Donna Wiseman (R) accepts the certificate from Ben Cardin. (People's Daily/Gao Shi)

Middle and primary school principals, parents and student representatives from all parts of Maryland, United States, recently gathered to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at the University of Maryland. At the gathering, it was often overheard that the lives of the children have been enriched due to Chinese learning. Barbara McElderry, coordinator of Garrison Forest School's Confucius Classroom, Maryland, said that the Confucius Classroom has become a favored point of her school during admission, and that many students have chosen Garrison Forest due to the program.

To date, America has already built 110 Confucius Institutes and 501 Confucius Classrooms. Besides language courses, they also opened courses on traditional Chinese culture such as tea ceremony, calligraphy, painting and so on.

In Thailand

Thailand's National Legislative Assembly members learn Chinese at the Chinese Training Course for Thailand NLA Members. (People's Daily/Sun Guangyong)

The Chinese Training Course for Thailand National Legislative Assembly Members was started in January 2018, with 20 members participating in it. At the opening ceremony, president of Thailands National Legislative Assembly, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, said that the role of Chinese language is becoming increasingly important with the rising influence of China in the world, and that Chinese will become a world language in the future.

Currently in Thailand, over 3000 schools have opened Chinese courses and around 1 million people are learning Chinese. Chinese has fast become one of the most important foreign languages in Thailand.

In Belgium

Students of Confucius Institute in Brussels, Belgium present their calligraphy results. (People's Daily/Ren Yan)

There are now six Confucius Institutes in Belgium, five of which are co-established by famous Belgian and Chinese universities. The vice president of VUB said that setting up a Confucius Institute is a long-cherished wish of their university, and that they hope to own such a platform after seeing Confucius Institutes becoming an important platform for cultural communication between China and the west in other European well-known universities.