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Monday, 9 March 2009
Experts question programmes of Confucius Institutes
The nation’s plan to foster soft power through its network of Confucius Institutes around the world amid a Chinese language-learning fever has been criticised as propaganda by cultural experts.
Experts question programmes of Confucius Institutes
Minnie Chan 9 March 2009
The nation’s plan to foster soft power through its network of Confucius Institutes around the world amid a Chinese language-learning fever has been criticised as propaganda by cultural experts.
“The mission of the overseas Confucius Institutes to just teach the Chinese language is shallow. They are not teaching the doctrines of Confucianism due to a lack of funds and qualified teachers,” Tong Yun-kai, the president of the Hong Kong-based Confucian Academy, said.
As part of its aim to peddle its “soft power”, the country plans to set up 500 Confucius Institutes around the world by next year. According to Hanban, a national office administered by the Ministry of Education overseeing the project, China has spent at least US$26 million annually since 2007 to support 249 institutes in 78 countries.
The institutes are run in partnership with local institutions or organisations such as colleges, with the Chinese government providing 50 per cent of operating cost. “The Confucius Institutes aim at promoting friendly relationship with other countries and enhancing the understanding of the Chinese language and culture among the world’s Chinese learners, as well as providing good learning conditions for them,” Hanban said.
To date though, only a relatively small number of Chinese cultural enthusiasts know of the programme, even in the United States, where 42 Confucius Institutes were established in the past four years. “Specifically, my parents wanted me to learn Chinese as a child,” said Margaret Hall, a 17-year-old Chinese American. “[But] I am not familiar with a Confucius Institute in the US.”
The long-term effects of the institutes remain unclear, given the limited enrolment. Without structured courses, no formal certificates are awarded to students who are free to come and go as they please. “Actually, the institutes function more like a civilian diplomacy centre rather than a Confucianism promotion centre,” Pan Xiaosong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Science who specialises in cross-border culture studies, said.
“The institutes have used Confucius as a symbol of Chinese culture and let the sage become a brand name for the schools.”
Granted, the Confucius thought of “harmony” was adopted by President Hu Jintao as a national policy since the 17th Party Congress in 2007.
Confucius’ “harmony” applies to the individual and the state that would be attained by observing the principles of benevolence and reciprocity within a hierarchical society. However, a 73-year-old disciple of Confucius, who has spent his life spreading Confucianism, vividly recalled how their belief was repressed during the Cultural Revolution. “The government-aided Confucius Institutes programme is just a way to promote the government’s image overseas,” he said.
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Experts question programmes of Confucius Institutes
Minnie Chan
9 March 2009
The nation’s plan to foster soft power through its network of Confucius Institutes around the world amid a Chinese language-learning fever has been criticised as propaganda by cultural experts.
“The mission of the overseas Confucius Institutes to just teach the Chinese language is shallow. They are not teaching the doctrines of Confucianism due to a lack of funds and qualified teachers,” Tong Yun-kai, the president of the Hong Kong-based Confucian Academy, said.
As part of its aim to peddle its “soft power”, the country plans to set up 500 Confucius Institutes around the world by next year. According to Hanban, a national office administered by the Ministry of Education overseeing the project, China has spent at least US$26 million annually since 2007 to support 249 institutes in 78 countries.
The institutes are run in partnership with local institutions or organisations such as colleges, with the Chinese government providing 50 per cent of operating cost. “The Confucius Institutes aim at promoting friendly relationship with other countries and enhancing the understanding of the Chinese language and culture among the world’s Chinese learners, as well as providing good learning conditions for them,” Hanban said.
To date though, only a relatively small number of Chinese cultural enthusiasts know of the programme, even in the United States, where 42 Confucius Institutes were established in the past four years. “Specifically, my parents wanted me to learn Chinese as a child,” said Margaret Hall, a 17-year-old Chinese American. “[But] I am not familiar with a Confucius Institute in the US.”
The long-term effects of the institutes remain unclear, given the limited enrolment. Without structured courses, no formal certificates are awarded to students who are free to come and go as they please. “Actually, the institutes function more like a civilian diplomacy centre rather than a Confucianism promotion centre,” Pan Xiaosong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Science who specialises in cross-border culture studies, said.
“The institutes have used Confucius as a symbol of Chinese culture and let the sage become a brand name for the schools.”
Granted, the Confucius thought of “harmony” was adopted by President Hu Jintao as a national policy since the 17th Party Congress in 2007.
Confucius’ “harmony” applies to the individual and the state that would be attained by observing the principles of benevolence and reciprocity within a hierarchical society. However, a 73-year-old disciple of Confucius, who has spent his life spreading Confucianism, vividly recalled how their belief was repressed during the Cultural Revolution. “The government-aided Confucius Institutes programme is just a way to promote the government’s image overseas,” he said.
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