The University of Southampton’s Confucius Institute (CI) has received an award as Xiamen’s Confucius Institute of the Year 2015.
Xiamen University supports 16 Confucius Institutes and 43 Confucius Classrooms in 13 different countries worldwide and sees the CIs as a bridge to facilitate partnerships with the host Universities.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Christopher Snowden commented that:
“It is a great honour for Southampton to be recognised as Xiamen’s Confucius Institute of the Year and helps build our reputation with our partners and as an internationally leading University”.
The CI has been in operation for four years and now has almost 1000 students studying Mandarin Chinese in the University, local schools and colleges.
The Institute’s long term aim is to establish and support the provision of opportunities to study of all aspects of modern China, including language and culture, from primary school through to University level.
Professor Mark Spearing, Provost and PVC International, who is also Director of the Board of the Confucius Institute and has been involved in many CI activities said:
“I am delighted by this recognition of the excellent progress that the Confucius Institute has made over the past four years since its founding. Much credit and many thanks are due to the Directors, Mark Cranshaw and Zhu Xueyi who have provided very effective leadership, and also to all members of the Confucius Institute team.
“In a short time our CI has become an important component of the University’s international strategy and it also provides a local and national impact through its outreach to schools and colleges. It is very pleasing that we have developed such a productive relationship with Xiamen University; a long term strategic partner of the University of Southampton”.