A student in the Confucius Insitute in the University of Zambia shows his painting. 

The development of the Confucius Institute has entered into a new stage, said representatives from eight countries including China, the United States and New Zealand at the Confucius Institute Headquarters Council Forum, held on July 16-17. 

The representatives agreed that "The institute should introduce more about its unique value and contribution by encouraging the beneficiaries such as students, teachers and the public to share their experiences. Parties from China and foreign countries should work together in order to train more high quality teachers, develop a high standard of teaching material and match the needs of local society.”

14 Confucius Institutes and 40 Confucius classrooms were set up in 2017, bringing the total to 525 institutes and 1,113 classrooms.

Confucius Institutes are established on the basis of foreign universities' application. It holds the same academic standards as university, and its basic management model has been widely recognized.

Besides conducting Chinese teaching, Confucius Institutes often organize cultural activities. For example, the Confucius Institute of Università degli Studi di Napoli L'Orientale in Italy holds cultural classes such as Kunqu Opera (traditional Chinese opera), calligraphy and Chinese painting in order to inspire students to learn and broaden their horizons.