On December 7 and 8, 2013, Zhang Jianxiang, deputy secretary of Shaanxi Normal University CPC committee, Zhang Lingyun, vice director of the university’s International Programs Office and Zhao Wei, the director on the Chinese side of the Confucius Institute at the University of Arizona, U.S.A., attended the Eighth Global Confucius Institute Conference held in the China National Convention Center in Beijing.

More than 2,500 attendees from over 400 Confucius Institutes took part in the event, along with representatives from Chinese universities.

Mr. Yuan Guiren, minister of the Ministry of Education, presided at the conference. LiuYandong, vice premier of the State Council and the chairman of Council of Confucius Institute Headquarters presented the keynote speech.

During the conference, Zhang Jianxiang and his colleagues met and discussed with Xu Lin, director-general of Hanban, Wang Yongli and Jing Wei, deputy director-generals of Hanban, and other officials from Hanban. They also met Mr. Mohammad Kabir Farahi, Afghan ambassador to China, and Dr. Sidney McPhee, president of Middle Tennessee State University.

Especially, they met and talked for several times with Prof. Chen Zhao, director on the U.S. side of the Confucius Institute at the University of Arizona, U.S.A., and agreed to expand the scope of cooperation, planning characteristic new programs in Chinese language teaching, Chinese culture festival, teacher training, summer camp, etc.

This was the first time that SNNU attended the Global Confucius Institute Conference. “Attending the conference helps us know better about the state policy in supporting the Confucius Institute. We can also learn the advanced experience and practice other institutions. This enables us to gather resources and experience and set a clearer objective for a better job.” said Zhang Lingyun.

SNNU signed an executive agreement with the University of Arizona at the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing this May for collaboration of the Confucius Institute at UA, and its art troupe visited U.S. and performed in UA’s Second Chinese Culture Festival in September. Prof. Zhao Wei will go to UA to assume her new position in January 2014.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Education of China, the Confucius Institute is a non-profit public institution, designed to help foreigners learn about China through courses in language and culture.

So far, China has established 440 Confucius Institutes globally. And nearly 650 Confucius Classrooms are in operation worldwide at middle and primary schools. About 850,000 students have registered at these institutions, and more than 20,000 activities have been held since the first Confucius Institute was established in 2004.

Original Article From: http://english.snnu.edu.cn/News.htm

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