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Confucius Institute

Confucius Institute
Founded2004 (2004)
TypeCultural promotion organization
FocusChinese culture, Chinese language
Location
Area served
Worldwide
MethodEducation and advocacy
OwnerChinese International Education Foundation (2020–present)
Hanban (before 2020)
Websiteci.cn/en/ Edit this at Wikidata
Confucius Institute
Simplified Chinese孔子学院
Traditional Chinese孔子學院
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinKǒngzǐ Xuéyuàn
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpinghung2 zi2 hok6 jyun2
Confucius Institute of Brittany in Rennes, France
A Confucius Institute at Seneca College in Toronto, Canada

Confucius Institutes (CI; Chinese: 孔子学院; pinyin: Kǒngzǐ Xuéyuàn) are public educational and cultural promotion programs funded and arranged currently by the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF), a government-organized non-governmental organization (GONGO) under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.[1] The Confucius Institute program was formerly under Hanban, another organization under the Ministry of Education.[2] The stated aim of the program is to promote Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally, and facilitate cultural exchanges.[3][4]

The Confucius Institute program began in 2004 and was supported by the Chinese Ministry of Education-affiliated Hanban (officially the Office of Chinese Language Council International, which changed its name to Center for Language Education and Cooperation in 2020), overseen by individual universities.[2] In 2020, the Chinese International Education Foundation was registered and granted exclusive use of Confucius Institute's trademark, and began to operate Confucius Institutes under a brand licensing model.[5] The institutes operate in co-operation with local affiliate colleges and universities around the world, and financing is shared between Hanban and the host institutions. The related Confucius Classroom program partners with local secondary schools or school districts to provide teachers and instructional materials.[6][7]

Officials from China have compared Confucius Institutes to language and culture promotion organizations such as Portugal's Instituto Camões, Britain's British Council, France's Alliance Française, Italy's Società Dante Alighieri, Spain's Instituto Cervantes and Germany's Goethe-Institut—several of them named for an iconic cultural figure identified with that country, as Confucius is identified with China.[8] Some commentators argue, unlike these organizations, many Confucius Institutes operate directly on university campuses, thus giving rise to what they see as unique concerns related to academic freedom and political influence.[9]

Confucius Institutes have been accused to be used as a form of "soft power" by the Chinese government, which spends approximately $10 billion a year on CIs and related programs to exercise these initiatives.[10] Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Xi Jinping in 2013 stated that the intentions are to "give a good Chinese narrative".[11] Confucius Institutes primarily focus on teaching Chinese language and culture without delving into political subjects.[citation needed] While they typically avoid political topics altogether,[citation needed] there have been concerns about potential censorship regarding certain content, including discussions on individual freedoms and democracy, the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Taiwan independence, human rights in Tibet, Falun Gong, and persecution of Uyghurs in China.[12][13]

  1. ^ Jichang, Lulu (1 September 2022). "Propaganda and beyond: A note on the 2020 Confucius Institute reform" (PDF). Sinopsis. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b "China: Agreements Establishing Confucius Institutes at U.S. Universities Are Similar, but Institute Operations Vary". U.S. Government Accountability Office. 13 February 2019. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. ^ Penn, Brierley (15 April 2014). "China Business:A broader education". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  4. ^ Mattis, Peter (2 August 2012). "Reexamining the Confucian Institutes". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  5. ^ "History". Confucius Institute. Chinese International Education Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Introduction to the Confucius Institutes". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  7. ^ Jianguo Chen; Chuang Wang; Jinfa Cai (2010). Teaching and learning Chinese: issues and perspectives. IAP. pp. xix. ISBN 9781617350641. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  8. ^ Justin Norrie (2011), Confucius says school's in, but don't mention democracy Archived 4 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine, The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 February 2011.
  9. ^ "Confucius Institutes: Vehicles of CCP Propaganda?". Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Stanford University. 1 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  10. ^ "The role of soft power in China's influence in the Pacific islands". 29 April 2019. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  11. ^ Wang, Shuai (2 August 2018). "国际汉语教师如何讲好中国故事". People's Daily (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  12. ^ "China's Big Bet on Soft Power". Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  13. ^ Gil, Jeffrey (28 March 2019). "Explainer: what are Confucius Institutes and do they teach Chinese propaganda?". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.

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