2017 Opening Ceremony of Pre-Job Training for Chinese Directors of Confucius Institutes in Asian-African Areas and Government-Sponsored Oversea Teachers Held in Dalian University of Foreign Languages

On July 17th, the opening ceremony of 2017 pre-job training for Chinese Directors of the Confucius Institutes in Asian-African areas and Government-sponsored oversea teachers of the Confucius Institute Headquarters was held in Dalian University of Foreign Languages. 46 designate directors of the Confucius Institutes in Asian-African areas from 38 Chinese universities, and 121 designate teachers heading to the United Kingdom and Oceania attended the training. Liu Hong, President of Dalian University of Foreign Language and Xia Jianhui, Deputy Director-General of Hanban attended and addressed the activity. Respectively on behalf of Chinese directors and Government-sponsored oversea teachers present at the training, An Deyuan from Xinjiang Normal University and Wang Yang from Tsinghua University delivered speeches.

Liu Hong delivering a speech

Liu Hong, on behalf of Dalian University of Foreign Languages, warmly welcomed the presence of the directors and the teachers in the training. She expressed that Dalian University of Foreign Languages built ten Confucius Institutes within ten years and has successfully undertaken 27 trainings for the directors, teachers and volunteers, contributing greatly to the establishment of Confucius Institutes and international promotion of Chinese language. During the period of the 13th Five-Year Plan, the university will attach greater importance to team-building of Confucius Institute directors, ensure a stable supply of teachers and volunteers, set up tasks on scientific research and talent cultivation for the cause of Chinese promotion, develop teaching materials with new features, strengthen the management and regulation construction for dispatched directors and teachers, and form a favorable treatment of scientific research, professional evaluation, and salaries for the directors and teachers to encourage them to actively dedicate to overseas and international Chinese language promotion. She pointed out that in a new era, the concepts of wide consultation, joint construction and shared benefits highlighted by the Belt and Road Initiative provide a new driving force and more challenging tasks for the development of Confucius Institutes. New missions for the Confucius Institutes along the “Belt and Road” are spreading the Silk Road cultures, telling good Silk Road stories and explaining the spirit of the Silk Road.

An Deyuan delivering a speech

An Deyuan said that Chinese directors’ thoughts, leadership and management style will directly impact the running of Confucius Institutes and the “Go Global” strategy of China. Directors in the training should value this opportunity to understand strategies and policies of Confucius Institutes’ construction and development, learn rules and disciplines for foreign affairs, improve problem-solving skills, uplift director’s level on general proficiency and management, and understand their responsibilities, striving to become well-qualified Chinese directors.

Wang Yang delivering a speech

Wang Yang said that Chinese language learning is a process of learning China and Chinese culture. Through Chinese language, people all over the world could build an emotional bond with China. Teachers in the training should work hard with full spirit to make full use of the training to improve techniques and skills of Chinese teaching so as to become qualified Chinese culture promoters and Chinese language teachers all around the world, and successfully accomplish their missions in the near future.

Xia Jianhui delivering a speech

Xia Jianhui expressed warm greetings to directors and faculty who attended the pre-job training, and extended gratitude to Dalian University of Foreign Languages for its attention and contributions to the training and the work of Confucius Institutes. He introduced three aspects, including how to know Confucius Institutes, the basic development concepts and operation model of Confucius Institutes as well as the directors’ responsibilities. From international outlook and historical perspective, considering the current international situation and the Belt and Road Initiative, he analyzed the historic mission, realistic meaning and the key to success of Confucius Institutes in simple terms. Xia Jianhui emphasized that equal cooperation may be the fundamental way to build a new international peaceful development order, and Confucius Institutes have been practicing equal cooperation concepts from the very beginning. Making Confucius Institutes better is to explore and create the model and experience of international friendly cooperation, which seeks common ground while reserving differences and harmony in diversity among different nations, ethnics and cultures, and is also the main embodiment and important practice of the “Belt and Road” spirit. He also expressed his hope to directors and faculty to have a deep understanding of Confucius Institutes’ requirements for the Chinese directors and faculty, and to think about the essence of “equal cooperation”, so as to improve the quality, efficiency, transformation and upgrading of Confucius Institutes in the new era and improve their administrative ability, Chinese language teaching ability, Chinese cultural transmission ability and cross-cultural communication ability. By doing this, all participants could achieve academic success in the following training, and make necessary preparations for being qualified directors and faculty and make themselves as “Chinese Cards”.

Liu Ximing, Secretary of the CPC Central Committee of Dalian University of Foreign Languages, Wang Weichen, Vice President of Dalian University of Foreign Languages, and Sun Yuhua, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization University and former President of Dalian University of Foreign Languages and other people attended the opening ceremony.

Guided by the long-term objectives and specific requirements of the future development of Confucius Institutes and based on the basic experience and successful practice and to meet the working requirements of the Asian-African areas, the contents of the four-week training course for directors including 7 models: namely, political quality, professional ethics and personal morality, administrative capacity, cross-cultural communication and writing skills, teaching management and cultural communication ability, language communication and literal expression, vocational skills and the introduction of projects in the headquarters. The three-week teacher training will conduct such activities as the development of Confucius Institutes, teachers’ professionalism, promotion of Chinese culture, cross-culture communication, Chinese teaching, teaching organization and classroom management, recommendation of the key projects of the Confucius Institute Headquarters, designating guidance and safety training and training practice.