ConfuciusInstituteopensaworldofopportunitiesforforeignstudentsofChineselanguageInCameroon,ConfuciusInstitutehasbuiltcooperativerelationshipswithmanylocalChineseenterprisestohelpexcellentstudentsgetinternshipopportunitiesandbeemployedintheseenterprises.YuGuoyang,ChineseDirectoroftheConfuciusInstituteatUniversityofYaoundeII,CameroonWhenAmadouTherasteppedonthestageandstartedlivewebcastingfromtheKunmingInternationalConventionandExhibitionCenter,heimmediatelycaughttheattentionofChineseandforeignvisitorsalike,whowerealleyesandhearsfortheyoungman.The26-year-olduniversitystudentfromMaliwasoneofthefourhostsofawebcastingprogramaimedatcoveringthe11thGlobalConfuciusInstituteConference,whichwasheldonDecember10-11,insouthwestChina’sYunnanProvince.TheannualconferenceisorganizedbyConfuciusInstituteHeadquarters,aChinesepublicinstitutioncommittedtopromotingChineselanguageworldwide.Morethan2,200delegatesattendedtheconference,includinguniversitypresidentsandrepresentativesofConfuciusInstitutesfrom140countriesandregions.ApartfromtheMalian’sfriendlydemeanor,whatreallycharmedtheChineseaudience-whichburstintoapplausemanytimesduringhispresentation-washisalmostperfectmasteryoftheChineselanguage.Forthat,TheracanthanktheConfuciusInstituteinhishomecountry,wherehefirststartedtolearnChinesesome10yearsago.FruitfulachievementsThera’sChinadreamstartedin2006,whenthethen16-year-oldboyenrolledinhisfirstChineselanguageclassatLycéeAskiaMohamedinMali’scapitalBamako.In2010,Thera’sadventureinChinacontinuedwhentheyoungmanwasofferedaConfuciusInstituteScholarshiptostudyChineselinguisticsatSouthwestForestryUniversityinKunming.Nowadays,moreandmorepeopleinAfricaarefollowinginThera’sfootstepsandlearningChineseatConfuciusInstitutesaroundtheworld.InSouthernAfrica’sZambia,theUniversityofZambia-basedConfuciusInstitutehasmetwithresoundingsuccessandwasawardedtwohonorslastyear:the2016AdvancedConfuciusInstituteandtheGlobalDemonstrationConfuciusInstitute.“Thesetwohonorsarerecognitionofourefforts.Currently,Chineseteachinghasbeenrolledoutinmorethan10provincesacrossZambia.Chineselanguagehasbeenfullyintroducedintoournationaleducationsystem,”LukeEvutaMumba,PresidentofUniversityofZambia,toldChinAfrica.Inviewofthissuccess,theConfuciusInstitutehasbeenlookingtoextentitsactivitiesandhassetupteachingsitesintwoofZambia’swell-knownpublicuniversities-CopperbeltUniversityandMulungushiUniversity.“Zambia’seducationauthorityhasjustapprovedtheChinesesyllabus.Chineseisverypopularinourcountry.Thereare19ChineseteachingschoolsinZambia,”saidSandeNgalande,ZambianDirectoroftheConfuciusInstituteatUniversityofZambia.“ChinesehasgainedpopularityinZambianprimaryschools.Thecountry’ssecondaryschoolsrequireallstudentstolearnaforeignlanguage,eitherFrenchorPortuguese,andnowChinesehasalsobeenadded.”ThousandsofkilometersfromZambia,inCameroon,asimilarenthusiasmforChineselanguageisalsovisible.TheConfuciusInstituteatUniversityofYaoundeIIwasestablishedin2007,andhasbeengrowingrapidlysincethen.AsofNovember2016,theinstitutehadtaughtmorethan13,000studentsovertheyears.“ChineseisverypopularinCameroon.PublichighschoolsinCameroonhaveincludedChineselanguageeducationintotheirnationaleducationcurriculum.Atotalof80secondaryschoolsinCameroonhaveopenedChineseclasses,”saidYuGuoyang,ChineseDirectorofthelocalConfuciusInstitute.AccordingtostatisticsfromConfuciusInstituteHeadquarters,Chinahadestablished511ConfuciusInstitutesandopened1,073ConfuciusClassroomsin140countriesasof2016,benefitingacumulativetotalof2.1millionstudentsworldwide.In2016alone,morethan240ConfuciusInstitutesin78countriesprovidedcoursesonChineseculture,suchasChinesetraditionalmedicineandtaijiquan,to350,000enrolledstudents.
COURTESYPHOTOSPreliminaryroundsofthe“ChineseBridge”competitionareheldaroundtheworld,likehereinZambiaTheHSK(Chineselanguageproficiencytestforforeigners)testbeingheldinCameroon
PromotinglocalizationRuYi,fromHungary,wasthefirstnon-ChineseteacherhiredbyaConfuciusInstituteinEurope.HerinterestinChineselanguageandculturegoesbacktoherchildhoodandledhertoparticipatetwiceinthe“ChineseBridge”competitionorganizedbytheConfuciusInstituteHeadquarters.Nowadays,ConfuciusInstitutesaremoreandmorerelyingonlocalteachersaroundtheworld.OnlyinCameroon,therearemorethan100localteachersproficientinChineseworkinginthefieldofChineselanguageteaching.“Enhancingthedevelopmentoflocalteachersisimportanttopromotemutualunderstandingamongdifferentcultures,”Yusaid.LiQingjun,ChineseDirectoroftheConfuciusInstituteatUniversityofZambia,saidthatlocalizationoftextbooksisanotherimportantaspectoftheirsuccessfulintegration.“TheConfuciusInstituteHeadquartersencouragecountriestopublishChineseteachingtextbooksadaptedtolocalconditions.Forexample,ZambiaisknownforitsfamousVictoriaFalls,andsowearecompilingaChinesetextbookontourisminZambiawhichwillincludetheVictoriaFalls,”Lisaid.InviewofLondoners’interestinChineseKunquOpera-oneofChina’smostpopularoperas-theConfuciusInstituteinLondonheldKunquOperaperformancesandrelatedlecturesthroughoutOctober2015.TheinstituteinvitedthefamousoperaperformerWangFangandanEnglishexpertwhohadworkedintheSuzhouKunquOperaAcademytoexplainKunquculture.ThiskindofactivitiesmadeiteasierforLondonerstounderstandKunquculture.AlwaysimprovingGoingforward,ConfuciusInstituteswillcontinuetodevelopandimprovethemselvesbyusingtheiruniqueadvantages,accordingtoYu.Oneofthemisimprovedemploymentprospectsfortheirstudents.Indeed,students’enthusiasmforChineselanguageisnotpurelycultural,butpartlyowestothefactthatmasteryoftheChineselanguagecanpavethewayforbetteremploymentopportunities,saidYu.WiththehighdemandforstudentswithgoodChineseproficiency,theConfuciusInstituteinCameroonhasactedtopromotestudents’employment.“InCameroon,theConfuciusInstituteatUniversityofYaoundeIIhasbuiltcooperativerelationshipswithmanylocalChineseenterprisestohelpexcellentstudentsgetinternshipopportunitiesandbeemployedintheseenterprises,”YutoldChinAfrica.AnotherpromisingareaforfurtherdevelopmentoftheConfuciusInstitutearethejointdegreeprogramsbetweenChineseandforeignuniversities.“TheChineseLanguageDepartmentoftheUniversityofZambiahassetupa‘2+2’program,whichallowsstudentstostudyChinesefortwoyearsattheUniversityofZambiaandthengotoChinatostudyChineseforanothertwoyears,”saidLi.ManyofthestudentsfindajobinChineselanguageteachinguponreturninginZambia,wheremoreandmorestudentsarestudyingfortheHSK,theChineselanguageproficiencytestforforeigners.“ConfuciusInstituteisawindowofChina’seducationreformandopeningup.With12yearsofdevelopment,itnowentersanewera,”saidHaoPing,thenViceMinisterofMinistryofEducationofChina,attheclosingceremonyofthe11thGlobalConfuciusInstituteConference.“ConfuciusInstituteswillfurtherpromotetwo-waycommunicationsbetweenChineseandforeigncultures.”CACommentsto