Last week the University welcomed a senior delegation from its partner, Wuhan University, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute.
Professor Zhao Xuemei, Vice Chair of Wuhan University Council was accompanied by a delegation of six senior staff and they were met by Professor Alan Speight, Vice Principal Global Engagement.
While in Aberdeen, the group renewed a student exchange agreement and met will colleagues from across the University.
In the afternoon, colleagues joined twenty Confucius Institutes from across Europe to mark the 10th anniversary of Aberdeen’s Confucius Institute. Since its inception, Aberdeen’s CI has delivered Mandarin lessons to more than 20,000 school pupils in Aberdeen City and more than 35,000 people have attended events in Aberdeen City hosted by the Confucius institute, including cultural shows, theatre, orchestras, choirs, art workshops, family days and dance workshops. The Institute has also hosted nearly 50 academic talks from academics from across the UK and China, including partner institute Wuhan University.
Speaking at a celebration dinner, Minister-Counsellor Zhang from the Education Section of the Embassy of The People's Republic of China noted the importance of people to people exchange and collaborations across universities. Guests were entertained with an eclectic mix of Chinese and Scottish music, provided by local artists and teachers from Goldsmith Confucius Institute, who had spoken earlier in the day about the importance of the arts in building bridges across communities.