Our partnership with Fudan University established the Confucius Institute for Scotland at the University of Edinburgh, which is a national centre to cement educational, economic, and cultural ties between Scotland and China. The Confucius Institute for Scotland The Confucius Institute for Scotland established itself in 2006 as a hub and a catalyst for ever-widening Sino-Scottish engagement in the education, business and cultural sectors under an initiative taken by Hanban – the Chinese Government department responsible for promoting of Chinese language overseas. With over 70 language courses and workplace and private classes offered each year, over 6,000 students have studied at the Institute since its opening. Additionally, the Institute provides an extensive public educational outreach programme through regular Business Lectures from leading business and governmental figures, along with a popular Distinguished Lecture Programme. The Institute’s services for professionals range from language classes to cross-cultural or specialist briefings from University experts, and translation and interpretation services. The Confucius Institute for ScotlandImpact of our partnership The impact of the Institute’s work in educational, business and cultural outreach led to its designation as a Model Institute in 2015 with a subsequent physical expansion. The opening of two additional buildings adjacent to Abden House, the Institutes headquarters, has set up the first Confucius Campus in the world. The Confucius Institute for Scotland also builds on existing links within the University of Edinburgh to various academic and cultural institutions in China. It aims to strengthen and expand these cultural, business and educational interactions and to explore and build new possibilities for exchange and collaboration. Fudan University is also partnered, alongside Edinburgh, in the Universitas 21 (U21) network. Several of our undergraduate students in the Chinese Studies degree programme undertake their study abroad year at Fudan. Universitas 21Fudan University The University began its life in 1905, and from its beginnings over a century ago, across various ranking criteria, it is consistently placed in the top three in China. With over 25,000 students studying across a range of faculties - Arts, Science, Law, Business, Technology and Medicine- Fudan University is well on the way to achieving its ambition of becoming a leading university in the world. Fudan carefully selects experienced teaching staff. A small team of Fudan master candidates teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages spend between one and four years working at the Confucious Institute for Scotland. The teaching team at the Institute is a vital component of the Institute’s work, and the quality of staff sent from Fudan has helped to build a reputation for excellence. These staff also benefit from the support and input of the University of Edinburgh’s director of Chinese language programmes, Dr Luan Duo. Fudan University This article was published on 2024-06-24
