USTB-DMU Confucius Institute Successfully Held 9th Anniversary Celebration & 9th Annual Board Meeting
Release Time: 2023-06-27Views:
On June 21st, 2023, the USTB-DMU Confucius Institute (CI) successfully held the celebration of the 9th Anniversary and 9th Annual Board Meeting at the library of the CI. Prof. Katie Normington, Vice Chancellor of DMU, Mr. Simon Bradbury, Pro-Vice Chancellor International of DMU, the 9th Anniversary Celebration was presided over by Prof. GU Wei, Chinese Director of the CI.
The USTB delegation met with the CI staff
CI students shared their Mandarin learning experiences
Before the celebration, the USTB delegation first visited CI and expressed their warm greetings to the staff of the CI. Afterward, the guests had face-to-face communication with the outstanding Mandarin students of the CI. Elizabeth May Kronstad, a DMU student who successfully won a Chinese Government Scholarship and was admitted by USTB, shared her Mandarin learning experiences as the student representative. She is very much looking forward to the study life at USTB in September 2023 and is very grateful for the learning exchange opportunities provided by USTB and the help of the CI teachers all the way. At the end of the meeting, Mr. WU Guilong also presented exquisite gifts to the students of the CI.
Accompanied by the melodious Guzheng music, guests took their seats one after another, and the celebration of CI's 9th Anniversary officially began at 11 am. Prof. GU Wei, the Chinese Director of CI, delivered an opening speech and introduced the guests. Speaking on behalf of DMU, Pro-Vice Chancellor Mr. Simon Bradbury warmly welcomed the guests of USTB, which is a testimony to the deep friendship between the two universities. He also reviewed the development of the CI and said that he was deeply impressed by CI's wonderful cultural activities such as the Film Festival and the New Year activities. During the epidemic period, the two universities overcame difficulties together to carry on Mandarin teaching through online cooperation and exchanges. He also expressed his delight to see the resumption of many cultural activities at the CI, which made the campus full of vitality again. He stressed the CI plays a vital role in demonstrating the cultural diversity of the university and helping Chinese students integrate into campus life.
Prof. GU Wei's made the opening remark
Remark made by Mr. Simon Bradbury
After Simon's speech, Mr. WU Guilong delivered a speech on behalf of USTB. He highly recognized the contribution made by the CI to the cultural exchanges between China and the UK and the dissemination of Chinese culture, expressed his heartfelt congratulations on CI's 9th Anniversary, and expressed his sincere thanks to all the staff of the two universities who have worked hard for the construction and development of the CI. He said during the visit, he and VC Normington fully communicated on further cooperation and exchanges between the two universities, and actively discussed future cooperation plans. Chancellor WU Guilong fully affirmed the important role played by the CI as a bridge and link in carrying out international cultural exchanges and hoped to continue to get the full support of DMU and strengthen the close cooperation between the two universities in the future.
Photo 5- Remark delivered by Mr. WU Guilong
After the speeches, the guests watched the video made by the CI teachers "The 9th Anniversary Celebration of the CI at De Montfort University", which reviewed the extraordinary development of the CI since its establishment. All the guests were moved by the dedication of the CI staff to the cause of cultural exchanges, and they were proud of the extraordinary achievements made by the CI in the past nine years. The CI's volunteer Mandarin teachers of the CI also gave wonderful performances such as Ritual Dance, Guzheng Solo, and Tai Chi Fan. Finally, all the guests took a group photo, and the celebration ended in a cheerful and peaceful atmosphere.
Birthday Cake Cutting
Group photo of all the guests and CI staff
Following the CI's 9th Anniversary Celebration, the 9th Annual Board Meeting of the two universities was held at 2:00 pm on the same day. The meeting mainly reviewed the work report of the Confucius Institute in 2022 and the 2023 work plan made by Prof. GU Wei, as well as the 2022 financial accounts summary and 2023 financial budget application. Prof. GU, the Chinese Director of the CI, mentioned in the report that after the epidemic, the two universities have gradually resumed senior leadership visits, and the academic exchange and project cooperation have also been strengthened. In the 2023 work plan report, Prof. GU proposed to further strengthen the cooperation and exchanges between the two universities, strive to enhance Mandarin teaching and improve the academic level of Mandarin teachers as well as promote the construction of Mandarin teaching digital resources. She said CI would continue to carry out a variety of cultural activities to serve DMU and the local cultural diversity and actively prepare for CI's 10th Anniversary Celebration.
The work of the CI in 2022 was unanimously recognized by the board members of the two universities, and in-depth discussions were held on the work plan of the Confucius Institute in 2023 and the future cooperation plan of the two universities. The CI Board reached a consensus on further strengthening future cooperation and exchanges and holding Joint Degree Show. They agreed to establish an academic exchange mechanism to promote research cooperation, staff exchange, and student exchange programs. The Board also approved the financial accounts for 2022 and the financial budget for 2023.
Before the end of the meeting, Mr. Simon Bradbury, Pro-Vice Chancellor of DMU, and Prof. ZHANG Dawei, Director of the USTB Office of International Affairs, made concluding remarks. They all expressed their recognition of CI's work and its important role and their willingness to offer strong help and support to the development of Confucius Institutes. They are all looking forward to more collaboration and exchanges between the two universities through the platform of CI. At the end of the meeting, the two universities exchanged gifts, and the 9th USTB-DMU CI Annual Board Meeting ended in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.
The 9th USTB-DMU CI Annual Board Meeting
Ms. Jill Cowley (Interim Dean of ADH faculty of DMU), Dr. Louise Peacock(Chair of CI Management Board,) and Rita Tailor (Finance Partner of ADH Faculty) and other DMU staff; Mr. SHENG Jiawei, Director of the USTB President's Office, Prof. ZHANG Dawei, Director of the International Affairs Office, Ms. HE Jin, Director of the USTB Alumni Association, Prof. QIAN Wei, Dean of Institute of Cultural Heritage and History of Science & Technology, and some CI's friends, important partners, and students participated in the activity.
Draft: the CI
Revision: CHENG Mingyuan
