Language is a tool for human communication of ideas, a carrier for inheriting civilization, and a bridge for enhancing understanding. In recent years, Chinese international education has accelerated its development in South Africa. In 2025, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the official inclusion of Chinese in the South African national education system, Chinese has become an important link for cultural exchanges between China and South Africa. On the occasion of the International Day of Dialogue among Civilizations on June 10th, Wu Changhong, the Foreign Dean of the Confucius Institute at the Western Cape University in South Africa, was interviewed and shared her observations and reflections on Chinese language teaching over the past 20 years. The summary of the interview transcript is as follows: Reporter: What is the current development status of Chinese international education in South Africa? Wu Changhong: With the continuous deepening of South China cooperation, Chinese international education has developed rapidly in South Africa, covering multiple fields such as basic education, higher education, and vocational training. Since 2019, both South Africa and China have designated September 17th as "South African Chinese Language Day", and Chinese has increasingly become an important bridge connecting the cultures and people of the two countries. In terms of basic education, in 2015, Chinese was officially included in the South African national education system; The curriculum outline was introduced in 2016, and students from the fourth grade of primary school to the twelfth grade of high school (graduation class) are eligible to take elective courses; Since 2018, Chinese as a Second Additional Language subject has officially entered the college entrance examination system. Major cities in South Africa have Chinese language schools that provide Chinese language education to South African expatriates and their children. There are as many as 14 second language subjects in the basic education curriculum in South Africa. Due to limitations in teaching time and resources, the number of primary and secondary schools that truly offer Chinese language courses is limited. In primary school, there are mostly interest classes, and in high school, there are less than five schools that make Chinese a compulsory course. The current teacher resources still mainly rely on the dispatch of the Sino foreign Language Exchange and Cooperation Center of the Chinese Ministry of Education, and most of the textbooks are published by Chinese publishers, which need to be further adapted to the language environment and learning habits of South African students. In the field of higher education, out of 26 universities in South Africa, 9 universities already offer Chinese language courses, including the establishment of Chinese majors, Chinese elective courses, Chinese teaching points, etc. Among them, the University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University, Rhodes University, etc. cover undergraduate, honorary bachelor's, and master's level Chinese language learning. In the field of vocational education, with the increasing number of Chinese enterprises in South Africa, some vocational colleges and enterprise training institutions have begun to explore the "Chinese+vocational skills" model, opening up new paths for employment oriented talent cultivation. Although this field is still in its infancy and lacks a unified professional Chinese certification system and examination standards, it has shown good development momentum and urgently needs more industry participation and policy support in the future to promote the deep integration of Chinese in practical training. South Africa currently has 7 Confucius Institutes, 2 independent Confucius Classrooms, and multiple affiliated Confucius Classrooms and teaching points, including one with traditional Chinese medicine characteristics and one with green technology characteristics, making it the country with the largest number of Confucius Institutes in Africa. In addition to language teaching, Confucius Institutes actively promote the integration of Chinese education with the local system, organize Chinese proficiency exams, conduct teacher training, and support student exchange and academic cooperation in universities in South China, expanding the depth and breadth of Chinese learning. Reporter: Compared with other regions, what are the prominent features of Chinese international education in South Africa? Wu Changhong: Chinese education in South Africa has distinct characteristics such as multilingual integration, economic drive, policy support, and cultural exchange, demonstrating a development path different from Europe, America, Southeast Asia, or other African countries. At the same time, the popularization of Chinese education not only enhances the South African people's understanding of China, but also adds new colors to the "Rainbow Country", making its culture more diverse and inclusive. One is the integration in multilingual environments. South Africa has 12 official languages and over ten foreign languages, with Chinese as one of the foreign language subjects, forming a unique multilingual education system along with other languages. In this context, Chinese education is not simply foreign language teaching, but deeply integrated with multilingual and multicultural environments. For example, a Chinese teacher in South Africa is researching the pronunciation comparison between Chinese and the native language of South Africa, Xhosa, which greatly helps with Chinese language teaching and helps students and teachers better understand language structures. Secondly, institutionalized promotion under policy support. The South African government has adopted an open attitude towards multilingual education in recent years, supporting the inclusion of international languages, including Chinese, into the curriculum system. The South African government and academic institutions encourage the cultivation of multilingual abilities, and Chinese, as an emerging foreign language, along with English, African languages, etc., forms a part of South African multilingual education, demonstrating its diverse and inclusive characteristics. Thirdly, there is a practical demand driven by economic development. Unlike Europe and America, which prioritize academic education, Chinese education in South Africa is more driven by South China economic and trade cooperation. China is South Africa's largest trading partner, with a large number of Chinese enterprises investing in South Africa. Chinese proficiency is increasingly becoming a bonus for employment, especially in fields such as commerce, tourism, and engineering. Fourthly, the promoting role of cultural exchange. Chinese education is not only about language learning, but also promotes cultural exchange between South Africa and China. Through the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese competition, International Chinese Day, South African Chinese Day, and traditional Chinese festival celebrations, Chinese education has become an important carrier of cultural exchange between South Africa and China, enabling South African people to have a more intuitive understanding of Chinese culture. At the same time, the local Chinese community actively participates in the promotion of Chinese education, interacts with South African society, and jointly promotes the dissemination and integration of Chinese culture in the local area. Fifth, add cultural diversity to the 'Rainbow Country'. South Africa is known as the "Rainbow Country", and its culture blends various elements from Africa, Europe, Asia, and more. The rise of Chinese education has further expanded the diversity of South African culture and enriched its cultural landscape. Chinese adds a touch of "Chinese red" to the rainbow bar of South African language. Some South African students have developed an interest in traditional Chinese culture such as calligraphy, painting, martial arts, and traditional Chinese medicine while learning Chinese. The art, music, catering and other fields in South Africa are gradually reflecting the characteristics of the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. Reporter: What role does Chinese education play in the cultural exchange between China and South Africa? Wu Changhong: Chinese education plays multiple roles as a cultural bridge, educational link, economic booster, and promoter of people to people diplomacy in the cultural exchanges between southern and central China. With the deepening development of Chinese education, it not only enhances the South African people's understanding of China, but also lays a humanistic foundation for future cooperation between the two countries. Firstly, to enhance understanding and recognition, language teaching promotes the two-way integration of southern and central cultures. Chinese education, as an important medium for cross-cultural communication, enables South African students to gain a deeper understanding of China's history, philosophy, and social reality, break stereotypes, and enhance cultural identity. In the multilingual environment of South Africa, some schools are exploring comparative learning between local language and Chinese teaching, and writing dictionaries of local language and Chinese. These methods can enhance students' understanding of learning Chinese and promote the integration of language and culture. Secondly, deepen education cooperation, exchange resources among universities in the South and Central regions, and jointly cultivate talents. Many universities in South Africa offer Chinese majors or courses, and cooperate with Chinese universities in academic exchanges, exchange programs, joint research, etc., to cultivate composite international talents for both countries. Chinese government scholarships and study abroad programs are also attracting more and more South African students to study engineering, medicine, trade and other majors in China. At the same time, private platforms such as the South African Chinese Teachers Association and the Chinese Bridge Club continue to promote the localization of the teaching system, forming a multi link linkage mechanism for teacher training, curriculum construction, examination and evaluation. Thirdly, the development of service cooperation and language skills support bilateral economy and people to people diplomacy. With China becoming South Africa's largest trading partner, Chinese language skills have gradually become an important component of South African youth's competitiveness in the workplace, especially in areas such as Chinese funded enterprises, South China commerce, tourism, and infrastructure construction where demand is increasing. Mastering Chinese not only benefits employment, but also helps South African companies better connect with the Chinese market. In addition, Chinese education has also cultivated a group of young people who understand China and are good at communication. They actively share their personal experiences in China on social media, alumni networks, community exchanges, and other occasions, becoming "cultural ambassadors" of South China friendly relations. (Xinhua News Agency) Interviewee Profile: Wu Changhong, currently the Foreign Dean of the Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine at Western Cape University. Since 2003, he has been engaged in Chinese international education in South Africa, committed to promoting Chinese education and Chinese culture, and hopes to promote mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples through the power of education.