Posted on 01/16/2007 11:19:00 AM PST by A. Pole
BEIJING, Kong. 1 (Xinhua) -- Every three days a Confucius institute was founded in a foreign country over the past year, which was out of the expectation of Xu Lin, senior official in charge of Chinese teaching overseas.
This tide for learning Chinese was initiated from the 1st International Conference on Chinese language held in Beijing in July, 2005, through which the Chinese government showed its interesting in popularizing Mandarin, China's official language, Xu recalled.
The first group of 25 Confucius institutes around the world were officially acknowledged by the government then, and the number has increased to 123 in 49 countries and regions.
Named after the famous ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius institutes replaced the nondescriptly-named Chinese Language Centers, trying to spread Chinese language and culture worldwide.
At Xu's office, the Office of Chinese Language Council International (OCLCI), applications for establishing Confucius institutes by foreign universities came in every day through letters and faxes.
"This move is to comply with the surging demand for Mandarin learning, as more and more people have realized the important role China has been playing in the world," Xu said.
China emerged as the world's fourth largest economy, contributing a yearly average of 13 percent to world economic growth over the past five years.
Statistics showed in 2003, 200 primary and middle schools in the United States given Chinese language lessons, and the figure tripled this year.
In 2005, nearly 30,000 took Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), a national-level test of Chinese proficiency of non-native speakers such as foreigners, overseas Chinese and students of Chinese ethnic minorities, while this year the figure doubled. HSK is eyed by many people as TOEFL in the United States for those who want to enter the country.
The Ministry of Education says 40 million people are learning Chinese the world over, but predicts the figure will hit 100 million by 2010. In China alone, the number of foreigners studying Mandarin has grown from 36,000 ten years ago to 110,000 this year.
However, behind the optimistic statistics, Xu also felt pressure -- Chinese teachers and relevant teaching materials were still in short of demand. Among the 1,000 kinds of Chinese language textbooks, few are easily accessible to non-native speakers.
"We should change the way of thinking when teaching Chinese to non-native speakers, emphasizing more on the sense of language instead of complicated grammar," Xu said.
Xu said the office decided to cooperate with foreign publishing houses to compile different teaching materials on Chinese language in different countries.
Quite a few Chinese primary and middle schools also actively sought for cooperation on Chinese language teaching with foreign counterparts in respective friendly provinces and cities.
"It will not only expand the channels for promoting Chinese, but also push forward educational reform in China," Xu said.
She noted that the training of personnel on Chinese teaching overseas was also changed. Students major in Chinese language teaching overseas should first learn the language of targeted country and then their native language, which totally reversed the previous situation.
Xu noted that China began to launch Chinese language teaching overseas some 20 years ago when China adopted the reform and opening-up policies. The overseas surging demand for Chinese language learning gave rise to the Confucius institute.
About one month ago, the prestigious Colombia University of the United States held a Chinese Culture Festival with each building on campus hanging a red lantern.
"My colleagues there told me that the U.S. people got to know for the first time that Chinese expressed their sense of happiness by hanging a red lantern," Xu said, stressing that people could better understand each other by learning each other's language and culture.
According to the schedule of OCLCI, China will have built 500 Confucius institutes by the end of 2010.
"More and more Confucius institutes help Chinese language and culture to gain its popularity in the world," Xu said.
How long will it be before English is as dead as French as a diplomatic language?
In my opinion the language is the first step.
Oh, Please...
My daughters are taking Mandarin and it will only help them. They will speak at least four languages. The more you know the smarter you are.
The purpose is to train competent state bureaucrats. The Western school system is to train factory workers.
This is causing mass confucion.
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without
A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake
When you see a man of worth, think of how you may emulate him.
When you see one who is unworthy, examine yourself
We take greater pains to persuade others that we are happy than in endeavoring to think so ourselves
When you know a thing, say that you know it; when you do not know a thing, admit that you do not know it. That is knowledge
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life
It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness
It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop
Mankind differs from the animals only by a little, and most people throw that away
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime (I think Dan Quayle may have had his own take on this one).
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves
http://mapage.noos.fr/matushansky/confucius1.html
Are you saying that the Chinese are ideo-logues?
About the risk that cultural institution can be used for spying it is a universal thing - many countries do it. Still, I think that this specific program has more important strategic and long distance purpose - the promotion of Chinese culture and system of values. Language is the logical first step.
You cannot be a great power by economy or military only.
Shake your cane at hooligans doin' wheelies ... not on bicycles but in automobiles ... brings lots o' smiles and satisfaction.
Was confucianism a particular target of the cultural revolution? Is Confucius particularly known in present-day China?
Yes. But the cultural revolution was relatively short and to eradicate Confucianism in China would be as hard as to eradicate Bible in America.
Is Confucius particularly known in present-day China?
Not much, maybe as much as Catholics know the Bible :). But the whole culture is formed by countless centuries of Confucianism.
When I have shown the Confucius Chinese/English edition to may Chinese friends (who came from the mainland) they reacted with excitement, identifying the ancient characters and explaining their meaning to me.
They did not know much about Confucius (being educated under Communism) but they seemed very interested and asked where they can order the book.
I think that the revival of Confucianism is certain. The two main challenges for Chinese culture is to assimilate/adopt the real strength of the West (which is deeper than technology) - provided in three key texts:
Plato Dialogs
works of Aristotle
four Gospels.
I think they if Chinese supplement Confucianism with these, their position in the world will be secured.
The second challenge is to provide alphabetic writing which will enable Chines to use unlimited number of words, WITHOUT losing the continuity of their culture. Some system of education where the ancient ideograms are combined with phonetic alphabet is needed.
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