The Joint Conference of Confucius Institutes in South Africa was successfully held at the University of Johannesburg recently. The Chinese and foreign deans of 8 Confucius Institutes in South Africa gathered together to conduct in-depth discussions on topics such as empowering Chinese education and cultural exchange in South Africa with artificial intelligence, local teacher development, and "Chinese+" characteristic courses, exploring the brand building and sustainable development path of Confucius Institutes in South Africa.

Yang Wei, Chairman of the China International Chinese Education Foundation, said in his speech that this year is the Year of Cultural Exchange between China and Africa. Since 2004, 11 Confucius Institutes and independent classrooms have been established in South Africa, serving over 100000 students and organizing various exchange activities for over a million people. They have become an important window for South Africans to understand China and a reliable channel for people to people exchanges between China and South Africa.

In his speech, the President of the University of Johannesburg, Mpedi, said that the degree of interconnectivity in today's world is constantly deepening, and universities not only bear the mission of talent cultivation, but also the responsibility of building cross-cultural, cross social, and cross-border communication bridges. The Confucius Institute has played an important role in promoting Chinese language teaching and enhancing cultural understanding, providing a deep platform for communication and interaction between South Africa and China, and advancing this mission.

At the closing ceremony of the joint conference, Yang Wei and Victoria Graham, Senior Director of Strategy and Administration at the University of Johannesburg, jointly unveiled the plaque for the "China Education Group Bookshelf".

The "China Education Group Bookshelf" project aims to use books as a medium to build a physical platform for educational and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, providing overseas youth with systematic educational resources for learning Chinese and understanding contemporary China. This is the first time the project has landed in South Africa.

At the event, students from the University of Johannesburg also brought wonderful performances of traditional Chinese dance and Chinese songs, demonstrating the local university students' love for Chinese culture.

This event is hosted by the China International Chinese Education Foundation and organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg. More than a hundred people, including representatives from various Confucius Institutes in South Africa, representatives from the China International Chinese Education Foundation, representatives from the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, and local university students, participated in the event. (Looking into the New Era)