China has established 500 Confucius Institutes globally

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong (C, front) poses for a group photo with advanced individuals and units at the opening ceremony of the 10th Confucius Institute Conference in Shanghai, East China, Dec 6, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

According to the 10th Confucius Institute Conference held in Shanghai on Dec 6, China has so far established 500 Confucius institutes and 1,000 Confucius Classrooms in 134 countries and regions, with a total of 1.9 million students. In the future, the construction of Confucius Institutes will be further localized and institutes will put more emphasis on quality improvement and developing the overall essence of the program.

Since 2004, in order to help send the Chinese language abroad and improve its cultural influence, China has been setting up Confucius Institutes globally. The Confucius Institute is a non-profit educational institution that aims to teach Chinese and spread Chinese culture.

For years, through teaching Chinese, Confucius Institutes set up a "bridge of understanding" between China and other countries. Currently, with a total of 44,000 full-time and part-time teachers, Confucius Institutes have compiled 1,200 localized textbooks and helped 6 million people to take Chinese examinations.

In the next ten years, Confucius Institutes will be further localized and actively adapt to the diversified and individualized needs of Chinese learners all over the world. The institution will further improve its academic research capability and implement the "Confucius New Sinology Plan" to bring up a new generation of sinologists and establish a discourse system that can be understood by both Chinese and foreigners.