On 10 November 2023, Consul General Tang Rui attended the celebrations of the 15th anniversary of the founding of Confucius Institute at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). More than 200 guests, including Councillor Yakub Patel Mayor of Preston, Prof. Graham Baldwin,Vice Chancellor of UCLan , Mr. Zheng Chengjun, Vice President of Beijing International Studies University, and representatives of teachers, students and local community attended the event.
Consul General Tang extended congratulations to the Beijing International Studies University and UCLan and expressed thanks to the staff of the two universities for their hard work. He said that President Xi Jinping once pointed out that, “the splendid cultures created by people from all over the world are the common precious wealth of mankind. We should give it new vitality in today's world through exchanges and mutual learning and creative development. Confucius Institutes belong to China and to the world.” Tang was happy to see that since its establishment, the Confucius Institute at the UCLan has been improving the quality of its Chinese language teaching and working closely with local institutions to deepen people-to-people exchanges between the two sides. It is hoped that both sides will continue to learn from each other to put forward new ideas and promote better integration and exchanges between the two peoples in various fields. The Chinese Consulate General in Manchester will continue to provide necessary assistance.
Prof. Graham Baldwin, Vice Chancellor of UCLan, stated that the Confucius Institute not only provides language courses, but also organizes dragon boat races, new year celebrations and other activities to inject new vitality into the cultural development of UCLan and the city of Preston. The university thanks the Chinese Consulate General in Manchester for its long-term support and assistance to the development of the Confucius Institute.
Mr. Zheng Chengjun, Vice President of Beijing International Studies University (BISU), said that on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Confucius Institute in UCLan, BISU welcomes the signing of an agreement to continue the cooperation in building the Confucius Institute between BISU and UCLan. The two universities will continuously work together to promote the existing good cooperation and build a better Confucius Institute.
Councillor Yakub Patel, Mayor of Preston said that the Confucius Institute, has made great contribution to enrich local cultural development, not only offers Chinese language learning courses for local schools and communities, but also organizes various activities.
After the meeting, Consul General Tang Rui, Councillor Yakub Patel and Vice President Zheng Chengjun watched the celebration performances.
