On 7 and 8 September in Sofia was held the annual General Conference of Confucius Institutes in Europe. For the first time the host of that event was Sofia University. The conference was attended by nearly 100 delegates from 22 countries, 10 delegates from five major Chinese universities and 16 delegates from the headquarters in Beijing.
The main objective of the conference was to stimulate the exchange of ideas and experience among Confucius Institutes in Europe and to promote their cooperation and balanced development.
Special guests from China honoured the event: the chief executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters and Director General of the Council for the International Dissemination of the Chinese Language at the Ministry of Education of China (Hanban) - Mrs Syu Lin, the deputy mayor of Dzinin, Shandong Province - Wu Zeng. The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in Bulgaria His Excellency Wei Dzinhua, directors of Confucius Centers in Europe, heads of educational establishments from Bulgaria where Chinese is taught etc. were also present.
The Rector of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Professor Dr. Ivan Ilchev, welcomed the guests and the participants and expressed his confidence that they will reveal their knowledge and lore in their discussions led by the dream to make the different cultures more familiar to each other, to ensure a peaceful future for the next generations.
The President of the University Council at Peking University for Foreign Languages - Han Zheng, thanked for the invitation to attend the event and noted that Europe is the host of the largest number of Confucius Institutes and is a very important focus of the world cultures.
He emphasized that during the years of its existence, the Institute at Sofia University, which is the first in the Balkans, has implemented a wide range of activities in Chinese language and culture teaching and has managed to become an important institution in China and Bulgaria. It plays a crucial role in the development of cultural exchange between the countries, and with the support of Sofia University and Hanbal it will become increasingly important for the Balkans, Europe and the world.
Mrs Syu Lin, chief executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters and Director General of the Council for the International Dissemination of the Chinese Language at the Ministry of Education of China (Hanban) expressed her gratitude to the management of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski for the warm welcome.
She stressed the need to enhance the exchange of youth from different countries, to enable them to get acquainted in detail with the different language and culture along with the Chinese language and culture teaching.
During the two days of the conference the directors of the Confucius Institutes discussed in groups various topics related to the teaching of Chinese language in the schools and universities of Europe, the possibilities for cooperation with the business world, etc.
The photos are provided by Confucius Institute at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.
- The Rector of Sofia University Professor Dr. Ivan Ilchev, welcomes the guests.
- The President of the University Council at Peking University for Foreign Languages - Han Zheng stressed that the Beijing University of Foreign Languages is the Chinese University, which offers training in the largest number of languages in the country - 70 languages, 23 of which are European.
- Mrs Syu Lin, chief executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters and Director General of the Council for the International Dissemination of the Chinese Language at the Ministry of Education of China (Hanban).
