The Confucius Institute at the University of Southampton in the UK was officially opened in January 2012. Known as a "small but excellent" Confucius Institute, it has gradually developed its own unique characteristics through over ten years of dedicated exploration and efforts: focusing on the campus, engaging with the community, promoting education through culture, and enhancing quality through research. As the only Confucius Institute south of London, it is an important base for Chinese language teaching, teacher training, and Sino-British cultural exchange in the southern region of the UK. It is currently striving to establish itself as a research-oriented Confucius Institute.