Chinese cultural experts from 87 countries will be discussing China’s cultural influence around the world at the 4th Confucius Institute Conference in Beijing this month.

Photo: chinese.cn/en

Hardly a month goes by when somewhere around the world China officially opens a new Confucius Institute. These Institutes are often attached to universities and offer Chinese language courses and a program of Chinese cultural events. So far, more than 280 Confucius Institutes have been set up in higher education institutions around the world. They are seen as a channel for spreading Chinese culture and are also a demonstration of China’s rising ‘soft power,’ it’s cultural influence on world affairs.

This month in Beijing hundreds of delegates from Confucius Institutes from 87 countries and regions will gather for the Confucius Institute Conference, an annual event which has occurred since 2006. A special focus of this year’s conference will be the role Confucius Institutes can play in community services in local communities they are operating in. Delegates will also discuss how the Institutes might open up more Chinese language classes in local schools.

Confucius Institute official Xu Lin says demand for Chinese language courses in Europe is expanding rapidly. "Five years ago, we sent 50 teachers to Europe every year. Now we send 5000, and that’s still not enough."