On November 16, the Confucius Institute Expert Database, initiated by the China International Chinese Education Foundation and supported by the "Taoli Chinese Special Fund for Training of Confucius Institute Directors," was officially established during the 2024 World Chinese Language Conference. Zhao Lingshan, Vice President and Secretary-General of CIEF; Hao Qingxin, Imre Hamar, Vice Rector of Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary; Zhou Zuoyu, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Beijing Normal University; Zhang Haidong, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of Sichuan Normal University; Fang Jinfeng, Chairman of Shenzhen Taoli Future Education Group, and over 200 Chinese and foreign scholars, and guests who are passionate about the CI initiative attended the establishment ceremony.
Secretary-General Zhao Lingshan emphasized that capacity building and the enhancement of CI directors are among the CIEF's most prioritized tasks. The establishment of the expert database will attract more attention from directors, scholars, colleagues, and friends from all sectors of society, sparkling new energy for CIs at the fresh start of their 20th anniversary.
Chairman Fang Jinfeng stated that Taoli Future Education Group, while engaging in the CI Building, has enhanced its corporate sense of honor, realized its corporate social value, and further strengthened its confidence in supporting international Chinese language education. The establishment of the expert database is a crucial step for quality CI development, which will be continuously supported by Taoli Future.
Secretary-General Zhao Lingshan, Prof. Hao Qingxin, Prof. Zhou Zuoyu, Chairman Fang Jinfeng, and Lourdes Tanhueco-Nepomuceno, foreign director of CI at the University of the Philippines, along with other Chinese and foreign scholars and guests, pressed the start button together to witness the official establishment of the expert database.
Twenty experts, both Chinese and foreign, were presented with appointment letters and commemorative trophies from CIEF at the venue.
Prof. Zhang Haidong, representing the experts, expressed his sense of great responsibility in his speech. He pledged to work committedly with his colleagues at Sichuan Normal University to support and serve the Chinese and foreign directors, contributing to the long-term CI development. The attending experts and directors were deeply inspired, recognizing that CIs serve as significant bridges for language and cultural dissemination and exchanges among different civilizations, and are eager to make further contributions to advancing the CI initiative.
Experts and scholars from CIs at various universities, namely Frankfurt University, Yonsei University, University of the Philippines, Beihang University, Zhejiang Normal University, and Communication University of China, conducted in-depth discussions from various perspectives, including the comprehensive competence of directors, cooperation between Chinese and foreign directors, training and support for Chinese hosts, promoting CIs' integration into local communities, enhancing brand recognition, and the role and significance of the expert database, which sparked heated responses.
The first batch of 28 experts, selected for inclusion in the database in 2024, come from 23 institutions and universities in six countries, including Germany, Spain, Hungary, South Korea, the Philippines, and China. The experts' academic backgrounds span a wide range of fields, including international Chinese language education, teaching management, media and communications, law, psychology, intercultural communication, and diplomatic etiquette.
