Confucius Institute bridges global language barrier

Children sing Chinese songs in Minsk, Belarus, during Lantern Festival this year. [Photo/Xinhua]

Recognized standard

Today, more than 500 students visit CIS each month to learn Chinese, from primary school and university students, to office workers and retirees. Most of them hope to improve their speaking skills and pass the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, or HSK, the Chinese Proficiency Test, to improve their job prospects.

The HSK result is a generally recognized standard to judge the level of a student's Chinese by many schools in the ROK, Lee said. "The main reason these students learn Chinese is because they think ROK-China relations will become closer, so learning the Chinese language and culture will be conducive for their development."

However, some students are learning purely out of interest, Lee said.

The ability to speak Chinese has become an important measure of talent in many companies in the ROK. As China is the country's biggest trading partner, and a free trade agreement between the two nations was signed in 2015, many ROK enterprises, including the conglomerates Samsung, LG and SK, see passing the HSK test as a bonus for their job candidates.

Li Hong, education counselor at the Chinese embassy in the ROK, told People's Daily in May that last year, the number of students sitting the HSK in the ROK exceeded 110,000, more than any other country. Some 500 students sat the test when it was first held in the ROK in 1993.

To meet demand, CIS offers a wide range of lectures on Chinese classical literature, economy, culture, tourism and poems. It also holds the annual "Chinese Bridge" Language Competition, along with Chinese singing and calligraphy contests in the ROK.

CIS also works with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on a quarterly Chinese-language magazine called Contemporary Korea, bringing together researchers from both countries as well as those around the region to examine the latest news on ROK politics, economy, culture and education.

CIS can not only promote Chinese-language education in the ROK, it is also acts like a bridge for mutual communication," said Lee, the CIS director.

As China's economy and standing on the world stage have made rapid advances, there has also been a sharp increase in the global demand to learn Chinese.

China began establishing non-profit public institutions which the aim of promoting Chinese language and culture in other countries 15 years ago. The institutions were named the ancient Chinese thinker Confucius.

"Teaching the Chinese language and culture promotes global diversity and is an important channel for advancing common development that benefits China as well as the host countries," the Headquarters said.

The Confucius Institute has helped to promote cultural exchanges by advancing teaching methods and offering a wide range of educational and cultural activities.

For example, it offers Chinese-language education, training for Chinese-language teachers, con-ducts Chinese-language tests and issues teachers' certificates. It provides consultancy services on Chinese language and education, as well as hosting language and cultural exchange events between China and other countries.

Since its establishment, cultural activities held by Confucius Institutes worldwide have attracted more than 100 million people.

More than 10,000 Chinese directors of Confucius Institutes, teachers and volunteers are selected and sent each year to teach Chinese in various countries.