Confucius Institute

File:Confucious Institute.png

Logo of the Confucius Institute.

Confucius Institute (simplified Chinese: 孔子学院; traditional Chinese: 孔子學院; pinyin: kǒngzǐ xuéyuàn) is a non-profit public institute which aims at promoting Chinese language and culture and supporting local Chinese teaching internationally through affiliated Confucius Institutes. Its headquarters is in Beijing and is under the The Office of Chinese Language Council International or Hanban.

Background

After establishing a pilot institute in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in June 2004, the first Confucius Institute opened on November 21, 2004 in Seoul, Korea and many more have been established in other countries, such as the U.S., Germany and Sweden, where Chinese enjoys an increasing popularity. The most recent opening was at University of South Florida in Tampa, FL USA (11 December 2007). The first Confucius Institute in South Eastern Europe was opened in August 2006 in Belgrade, Serbia. The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China estimates that, by the year 2010, there will be approximately 100 million people worldwide learning Chinese as a foreign language, and it plans to set up more than 100 Confucius Institutes worldwide.

Criticism

The Confucius Institute has been subjected to criticism from several quarters. Some critics of the Institute has pointed out that unlike other cultural institutes such as the British Council and the Goethe Institute, the Confucius Institutes usually operates within universities and exercises certain influence over the course taught at those institution. This, critics say, may jeopardize the integrity of those institutions.

The Institute has also attracted concern from some Western governments. Members of the Swedish Riksdag have expressed concerns that the Institute provides a platform for the Chinese government. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said the Institute is part of China's bid to win over western hearts.

Virtual worlds

The Michigan State University Confucius Institute has entered the virtual world Second Life to create an educational island for learners of Chinese as of 2007.

List of Institutes

Listed by alphabetical order according to country of location.

Australia

• University of Adelaide [1]
• University of Melbourne [2]
• University of Western Australia [3]

Austria

• University of Vienna [4]

Belgium

• Université de Liège [5]
• Brussels China Academy [6]

Bulgaria

• Софийски университет "Св. Климент Охридски" [7]

Canada

• British Columbia Institute of Technology [8]
• University of Waterloo [9]
• Confucius Institute (Moncton, New Brunswick). Opening fall 2007.
• Dawson College [10]
• Université de Sherbrooke

France

• L’Université Paris 7-Denis Diderot [11]
• Université de Poitiers [12]

Germany

• Free University of Berlin [13]
• Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nurenberg [14]
• University of Duesseldorf [15]

Hungary

• Eötvös Loránd University [16]

Indonesia

• Jakarta Confucius Institute, Announced September 28, 2007.

Ireland

• University College Dublin [17]

Israel

• Tel Aviv University [18]

Italy

• University of Rome La Sapienza [19]

Japan

• Aichi University [20]
• Hokuriku University [21]
• Obirin University [22]
• Ritsumeikan University [23]
• Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University [24]
• Sapporo University [25]

Kenya

• Nairobi University [26]

Lebanon

• Confucius Institute at Saint-Joseph University (CIUSJ) [27]

Mexico

• Huaxia Chinese Culture College [28]

The Netherlands

• Confucius Institute The Hague [29]

New Zealand

• University of Auckland [30]

Pakistan

• Pakistan National University of Modern Languages [31]

Peru

• Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru [32]
• University of Piura [33]
• Universidad Catolica Santa Maria of Arequipa [34]

Philippines

• Ateneo de Manila University [35]

• La Consolacion College Manila [36]

Poland

• Jagiellonian University [37]

Portugal

• University of Minho [38]
• University of Lisbon [39]

Romania

• Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu [40]

Russia

• Novosibirsk State University [41]
• Blagoveschensk State Pedagogical University [42]

Rwanda

• Kigali Institute of Education [43]

Serbia

• Confucius Institute in Belgrade [44]

Singapore

• Nanyang Technological University[45]

South Africa

• Stellenbosch University [46]

South Korea

• Kangwon National University [47]
• Keimyung University [48] Announced April 25, 2007
• Daehul University [49] Announced June 19, 2007
• Chungbuk National University [50] Established on September 28, 2006
• Woosong University [51]
• Donga University [52]
• Dongseo University [53]
• Honam University [54]
• Chungnam University [55]
• Confucius Institute in Seoul [56]

Sweden

• Stockholm University [57]

Thailand

• Chiang Mai University [58]
• Kasetsart University[59]
• Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen University [60](in Thai)
• Prince of Songkla University[61]
• Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus[62]
• Chulalongkorn University
• Burapha University
• Mae Fah Luang University
• Mahasarakham University
• Betong Municipality
• Bansomdejchaopraya Rajchabhat University
• Traimit Wittayalai High School
• Suan Dusit Rajchabhat University at Suphanburi

United Kingdom

• London School of Economics [63]
• University of London [64]
• University of Manchester [65]
• University of Sheffield [66]
• University of Wales, Lampeter [67]
• The Confucius Institute for Scotland in the University of Edinburgh [68]
• University of Leeds [69]

United States

• Arizona State University [70]
• Bryant University [71]
• Chicago Public Schools [72]
• China Institute (New York) [73]
• Cleveland State University[74]
• The Community College of Denver
• Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) [75]
• Miami University in Ohio [76]
• Michigan State University [77]
• New Mexico State University
• North Carolina State University [78]
• Portland State University [79]
• Purdue University [80]
• Rutgers University
• San Francisco State University [81]
• Texas A&M University [82]
• University of California, Los Angeles [83]
• University of Hawaii [84]
• University of Iowa [85]
• University of Kansas [86]
• University of Maryland [87]
• The University of Memphis
• University of Massachusetts [88]
• University of Nebraska–Lincoln [89]
• University of Oklahoma [90]
• University of Pittsburgh [91][92]
• University of Rhode Island [93]
• University of South Florida
• University of Wisconsin-Platteville [94]
• Valparaiso University [95]

On January 31, 2008, Wayne State University will open its new Confucius Institute, becoming the second one in Michigan (the first is Michigan State's).

Confucius Institute of the Year Award

In December 2007 at the Second Confucius Institute Conference in Beijing, 20 Confucius Institutes among 210 of which around the world were annouced Confucius Institute of the Year 2007 The titles of 20 awarded Confucius Institutes are as follow (listed according to alphabetical order of the host countries).

• Confucius Institute at the University of Western Australia, Australia
• Confucius Institute at British Columbia Institute of Technology, Canada
• Confucius Institute at Poiters University，France
• Confucius Institute at the Free University of Berlin，Germany
• Confucius Institute at the Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
• Confucius Institute on the UCD campus, Ireland
• Confucius Institute at the University of Rome , Italy
• Confucius Institute at Ritsumeikan，Japan
• Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi, Kenya
• Confucius Institute at Chungnam National University, Korea
• Confucius Institute at the University of Auckland, New Zealand
• Confucius Institute at National University of Modern Languages, Islamic Republic of Pakistan
• Nordic Confucius Institute in Stockholm University，Sweden
• Confucius Institute at Khon Kaen University, Thailand
• Confucius Institute at the University of Edinburgh, UK
• Confucius Institute in Chicago，USA
• Confucius Institute at China Institute，NY, USA
• Confucius Institute at the University of Kansas, USA
• Confucius institute at Michigan State University, USA
• Confucius Institute in Tashkent，Uzbekistan

See also

• Alliance française
• British Council
• Goethe-Institut
• Instituto Cervantes
• Instituto Camões
• Instituto Caro y Cuervo
• Società Dante Alighieri
• Japan Foundation

External links

• China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language
• The UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland, first Confucius Institute in Ireland launched in Sep 2006