1. Confucius Institutes
A Confucius Institute is not a university in the general sense. It is an exchange institution for the promotion of the Chinese language and culture.
Conlucius Institutes, as a non-profit social organization, operate in cooperation with universities, research institutes and educational institutions in China and abroad to provide uniformed and diverse teaching for Chinese learners all over the world.The first Confucius Institute was formally established in Seoul, South Korea in 2004. As of December 31, 2017, there were 525 Confucius Institutes and 1,113 Confucius Classrooms in 146 countries and regions around the world. Apart from Chinese language teaching activities, Confucius Institutes also carry out exchanges and cooperation with foreign universities or educational institutions in education, culture and other aspects. Confucius Institutes are now an important means for people in many countries to learn the Chinese language and culture, and to understand contemporary China.
2. International Schools
At present, there are some international schools in some large and medium-sized cities in China. These schools generally have a considerable proportion of foreign students and operate like foreign schools or in the China-foreign cooperative teaching modes. International schools offer secondary education (or below). They can generally be divided into two categories. The first category includes international schools run by legitimate foreign institutions and legitimate foreigners residing in China, which are tor foreign students only, such as Shanghai American School and Guangzhou American School. The second category includes schools that are open to both Chinese and foreign students, such as Harrow International School Beijing and Suzhou Eton House International School.
3. Belt & Road Education
China has put forward the Belt & Road Initiative to conduct multi-faceted friendly cooperations and exchanges with all the countries along the routes. Educational cooperation and exchanges with other countries are important parts of the initiative. In July 2016, the Chinese Ministry of Education published a developmeni plan on building education cooperation under the Belt & Road Initiative, encouraging closer cooperation with all countries along the routes so as to promote the development of education and cultivate more talents. The Silk Road Study Abroad Promotion Program is one of them. In each year in the next five years, 10,000 new students will be awarded the Silk Road Chinese Government Scholarship to study in China. China is also striving to improve the quality of talent training for foreign students, and aims to become a desired destination for students from all over the world. In addition, 2,500 government- sponsored students will study in the countries on the routes of the Belt & Road.
Questions
1. Does your country have “compulsory education” or something similar? Please share your views on “compulsory education”.
2. After studying the Chinese educational system, based on your experience of studying in China, please compare the educational system of China with that of your country, and talk about the similarities and differences in educational concepts and teaching methods.
3. The imperial examination in China is the earliest examination in the world. Western countries had developed their civil service system by drawing lessons from the imperial examination system. Try and compare the similarities and differences between China’s imperial examination and the civil service system in the West. Please also discuss the similarities and differences in the examinations between your country and that in China.
4. Analyze the significance of the Confucius Institutes in promoting the exchanges between Chinese culture and world culture.