Delegates from 38 countries and regions on behalf of 80 Confucius Institutes, specializing in Chinese language and culture education, will attend the first Confucius Institute Conference Thursday.

"It is beyond my expectation that so many people applied for the conference within only one month, as similar meetings usually would take two to three months to get so many participants," said Wang Luxin, a senior official with the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (NOTCFL) under the Ministry of Education.

He said more than 400 delegates, half domestic and half overseas, will attend the meeting, together with officials of foreign embassies in Beijing.

According to Wang, Confucius Institute is a non-profit public institution promoting Chinese culture internationally and supporting Chinese language teaching outside China. Confucius Institutes provide Chinese-learning courses and programs, such as Chinese language teaching at all levels, professional training for university, secondary and elementary school Chinese teachers, tests for a certificate of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, Chinese contests, consultations for further Chinese studies in China and introductions to Chinese culture.

Since 2002, Wang said, the NOTCFL has set up a number of Chinese-learning institutions overseas to enhance the understanding of Chinese culture among Chinese learners outside China. In March 2004, the institutions were brought under one umbrella named the Confucius Institute.

After the first World Chinese Conference was held in Beijing in July 2005, the Confucius Institute project received a cordial welcome from across the world.

To date, a total of 80 Confucius Institutes have been launched in 36 countries and regions, and 99 institutes from 38 countries have applied to set up Confucius Institutes.

Antonio Guiraraes Rodrigues, president of University of Miniho of Portugal, said the first Confucius Institute in the country has been set up in his university.

"Young people are greatly interested in the Chinese language, because of not only the long-term relations between Portugal and China, but also a fast-developing China that attracts the world's eyeballs," he said.

Wang said the two-day conference will invite delegates to exchange experiences on Chinese language teaching in respective countries and regions, and give advices on the operation and administration of Confucius Institutes.

Right ahead of the Confucius Institute Conference, a meeting for local staff specialized in Chinese teaching overseas was held in Beijing from July 4 to 5. Chinese State Councilor Chen Zhili called for better promotion of Chinese learning around the world to meet surging demand and expand the influence of Chinese culture.

Chen said the country has decided to train more teachers, improve textbooks and build more Confucius institutes overseas and online which specialize in Chinese language and culture education.

Wang revealed that to promote Chinese language and culture abroad, China plans to set up 100 Confucius Institutes around the world to help foreigners learn Chinese. The Confucius Institute Conference will be held annually.

Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Statistics show 30 million people worldwide are learning Chinese and more than 2,500 universities in 100 countries and regions run Chinese courses.

Source: Xinhua