Beijing Language and Culture University Established Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education

Date: October 30, 2019 Source: Publisher:

On June 6th, 2019, the unveiling ceremony of the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education and the International Education of Chinese Language Development Forum of Beijing Language and Culture University was solemnly held in the lecture hall of Yifu Building, thus the world’s first Institute of International education of Chinese language has been established. Professor Liu Li, President of Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), Yu Tianqi, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Confucius Institute headquarters, Professor Lu Jianming of Peking University, and Cui Xiliang, Director of the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education, attended and spoke at the unveiling ceremony. Zhang Wangxi, Vice President of BLCU, presided over the ceremony.

President Liu Li announced the establishment of the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education and delivered a speech. He pointed out that the transformation from the Center for Studies of Chinese as a Second Language (CSCSL) to the Research Institute of International Chinese Language marks the profound transformation of the construction of the discipline at the teaching and research center of Chinese as a foreign language in BLCU. As a Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ministry of Education, the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education shoulders the dual mission of serving the discipline construction of Chinese international education and the development of international education of Chinese language. As a national-level research base, the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education should make great efforts in four aspects: firstly, the theoretical construction of the discipline should be enhanced; secondly, academic innovation should be promoted; thirdly, first-class academic team should be established; fourthly, efforts should be made to train outstanding talents.

Yu Tianqi, deputy secretary of the party committee of the headquarters of the Confucius Institute, said in her speech that there are major tasks in the development of the Confucius Institute, such as further deepening reform, perfecting the system, and strengthening mechanisms. In its future work, the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education needs to solve the problem of an unbalanced global layout of Confucius Institutes, the lack of professional teachers, lack of modern contents of teaching materials, and how to give full play to the role of Chinese colleges and universities and strengthening capacity-building and other issues. She also pointed out that the focus of the headquarters of the Confucius Institute is in the following four aspects: firstly, deepening institutional reform and innovation; secondly, optimizing management services; thirdly, innovating the mode of school-running; and fourthly, cultivating and building a professional research team.

In his speech, Professor Lu Jianming of Peking University pointed out that the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education should have a high position in the planning of the overall cause, and we should think deeply about all aspects of the development of international education of Chinese language. He believes that after the establishment of the Institute, several specific tasks need undertaking: firstly, we should do a good job in top-level design and planning, give priority to language teaching so as to better equip language learners with knowledge of Chinese stories; secondly, we should expand on compilations of teaching materials, integrate Chinese culture into teaching in a flexible way; thirdly, we should focus on the training of Chinese teachers, especially local teachers; fourthly, the construction of Chinese think tanks should be strengthened, especially in the use of words, syntax and format; fifthly, the development of Confucius Institutes must be prioritized.

Cui Xiliang, director of the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education, believes that after its establishment, the Institute still needs to strengthen ties with overseas Confucius Institutes to contribute to the construction of “Double First-Class” initiative of the partner institutions. Future work plans for the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education mentioned include: firstly, to integrate academic strength and maintain close contact with the headquarters of the Confucius Institute; secondly, to study the major problems in the development of international education in Chinese language. Thirdly, to make major achievements in future development plans; fourthly, in the training of outstanding personnel, mainly focusing on young and middle-aged scholars and graduate students; fifth, to promote the development of international education of Chinese language; finally, to continuously improve the level of service.

At the subsequent Forums on the Development of International Education of Chinese language, Professor Zhao Jinming of Beijing Language and Culture University, Professor Zhao Yang of Peking University, Professor Li Quan of Renmin University of China and Professor Ning Jiming of Shandong University respectively made wonderful reports on the theoretical perspective, research methods and macro strategy of international education of Chinese Language. Professor Cui Xiliang, president of the Research Institute, made a systematic summary. Yu Tianqi, deputy secretary of the party committee of the Confucius Institute headquarters, more than 200 teachers and students from more than a dozen domestic universities and more than 200 teachers and students of Beijing Language and Culture University witnessed the establishment of the Institute. Nearly a thousand people watched the ceremony and forum live online.

The Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education is based on the key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ministry of Education, the Center for Studies of Chinese as a Second language, and the International Base for the Promotion of Chinese, the Research Base for International Chinese Language Education. It reintegrates the advantages of Chinese international education resources and outstanding talents inside and outside the school so as to form a brand-new flagship international education research institute of Chinese language. The general goal of the Institute is to build the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education of BLCU into the most authoritative and influential Chinese international education research institution at home and abroad. The research institute will inherit the fine traditions of BLCU, continue to develop and innovate, and strive to come up with theory, wisdom, thought, strategy, standard, method, mode, teaching material, technology and talent. The Institute will develop key research directions, integrate academic strength, strengthen collaborative research, meet the needs of the country, and produce more forward-looking, leading and interdisciplinary high-level achievements, so as to better serve the national strategy and the needs of Chinese language education all over the world.

For the time being, the Institute has set up five subordinate academic institutions, namely, the linguistic Research Center for International Chinese Language Education, Applied Research Center of International Chinese Language Education, and the Research Center of International Chinese Language Education and Confucius Institute Development, Information Resource Center of International Chinese Language Education and the Editorial Department of “Chinese Teaching in the World”.

The Institute attaches equal importance to academic research and think tank research, and will carry out research in 12 key areas: first, language ontology research for Chinese international education; second, language learning and cognitive research; third, interactive linguistics and Chinese teaching research; Fourth, the research and development of Chinese international educational resources; fifth, the research on the application of Chinese international educational technology; sixth, the related research on Chinese teaching theories and methods; seventh, the research on the development and evaluation of international education of Chinese language. The eighth is the research on the development of Confucius Institute and the main language communication institutions in the world, the ninth is the regional and national study of Chinese international communication, the tenth is the construction and research of Chinese international education database, the eleventh is the construction and research of Chinese international education corpus. The twentieth is the integration and service of Chinese international education information resources.

The Institute intends to carry out work in nine key aspects: first, set up a high-level research team; second, cultivate disciplined leaders; third, to undertake important scientific research projects; fourth, train high-quality graduate students; fifth, promote international academic exchanges and cooperation; Sixth, to produce iconic academic application results; seventh, to enhance academic influence at home and abroad; eighth, integrate discipline and career development information resources; and ninth, to enhance the ability of social services.

In order to achieve this goal, the Institute plans to start team formation work in the near future, and recruit experts and outstanding young and middle-aged scholars from China and abroad as part-time researchers to join the Institute in a variety of forms.

The establishment of the Institute will have an important impact on the construction of international education of Chinese language as a discipline and the development of international communication of Chinese language.