On May 26th, the pre-job training for Confucius Institute Chinese directors, hosted by the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF), was successfully completed for the first half of 2023. 79 director candidates from 70 Chinese organizations, in partnership with the Confucius Institute (CI) (including those in charge of independent Confucius Classrooms), participated in the orientation. After 12 days of concentrated training they will take up their posts in 56 countries and regions around the world.

Centered on the roles and duties of Chinese directors, the training was aimed at building core capabilities that include duty fulfillment with special regard to CI’s overall mode of operation, teaching organization and administration, branding activity, image building, cross-culture comprehension and communication, risk control, and emergency response. The aim was to enhance understanding of the director’s position and the great cause of CI as a whole.

The training also invited guests to conduct a symposium. These included Chen Zhimin (vice president of Fudan University) and Zhang Haidong (vice president of Sichuan Normal University), as well as senior experts and scholars from the Communication University of China, Beijing Language and Culture University, Minzu University of China, and Beijing Foreign Studies University. Outstanding former and incumbent Chinese and foreign directors of CIs also shared their views.

As the attending director candidates said in their reports, the training provided insights into the existing opportunities and challenges faced by CI and the institute’s developmental objectives in the new era. It also deepened their understanding of the roles, duties and missions of Chinese directors, boosting their confidence and sense of pride in fulfilling their duties.

At the completion ceremony, Zhao Lingshan (secretary-general of CIEF) stressed that CI has promoted two-way exchanges and friendships among people through Chinese courses and various academic and cultural activities since 2004. Every director should improve their ideological stance, adhere to bottom-line and team mentality, and proactively fulfill their duties and responsibilities in the spirit of dedication. This will help to satisfy the needs of local Chinese learners at CIs, serve local societies, and duly contribute to multicultural exchanges and mutual learning around the globe.

This training was undertaken by the Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). Zhang Baojun, vice president of BLCU, attended the session and delivered a speech.