News

University set to host Confucius Institute

[ China UniNews Vol. 3, No. 3  July 2005 ]

A Letter of Intent to establish a Confucius Institute at the University of Melbourne was signed by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis, and the Consul-General in Melbourne of the People’s Republic of China, Tian Junting, in early July.

The Confucius Institute project, administered by the Chinese Ministry of Education through the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, aims to promote the study and understanding of Chinese language and culture throughout the world.

Speaking at the signing ceremony to establish the institute, Consul-General Tian said the educator, thinker and philosopher Confucius has had a “profound influence on the Chinese people for thousands of years and his influence has expanded to other countries as well”. He said naming the institute after the philosopher showed the “longevity and profundity of Chinese language and culture.

“It also embodies the development trend of the integration of Chinese language and culture into the world of a new century.”

The University of Melbourne has a long history in the teaching of Chinese language and culture, and now has one of the largest and most comprehensive Chinese studies programmes of any Australian university. The Vice-Chancellor said the University was delighted to work with colleagues at the Consulate-General in Melbourne to “establish successfully and develop fully a world-class Confucius Institute in Melbourne”.

The National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language has an ambitious intention of establishing 100 Confucius Institutes around the world.