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The first World Chinese Conference will be held on July 20-22 in Beijing, deemed by many as a major step in the development of teaching Chinese as a foreign language. "It is a watershed in the field revealing great changes in institution makeup and ideology -- From this time on, the Chinese government will go to foreign countries to set up organs to teach foreigners Chinese, instead of merely welcoming in foreigners at home to learn Chinese," said Zhang Xiping, a professor and deputy director of the International Exchange Institute of Beijing Foreign Studies University. Launched by the Chinese government and organized by the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, the conference has attracted participation of some 300 educators, Sinologists, Chinese teachers, policy makers and officials from nearly 70 countries. Themed around the development of Chinese in a multicultural world, the conference is divided into three sessions, discussing various topics such as building a Confucius Institute overseas, the improvement of the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) and theory studies on teaching Chinese as a foreign language. Other events include a symposium on overseas Sinology, an international symposium on Chinese teaching and an exhibition of Chinese language teaching materials from China and abroad. There will also be a Chinese Proficiency Competition for foreign college students, called "Chinese Bridge," and participation from foreign Chinese learners from abroad in a variety of activities. "Apparently the opening of the conference has reflected the strength of China, as our country grows fast in economy, and with entering into the WTO, China has made comprehensive political, economical and cultural exchanges with many other countries," said Liu Bing, a staff with the organizer - the China National Office Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. According to Liu, there are over 50 institutions abroad who have shown interest in cooperating with the office regarding opening Confucius Institutes in their countries and cities. "Confucius Institutes overseas will be a non-profit social organ aimed at spreading Chinese language and culture abroad as a foreign language and culture, just like that of the Goethe Institute from Germany and the like," he said. Funded by the Chinese government, it is said that in five years, 100 such Confucius Institutes will be set up overseas. Yet, cool-headed scholars like Zhang dislike such hot-headed haste. "We should take a cautious attitude, and step slowly but steadily forward, because we lack experience in running and managing such institutes like foreigners do, and we lack faculties on teaching Chinese as a foreign language," Zhang said. It is true there is a craze for China, because many people in many countries are getting keener and keener to do business in China, Zhang said. "Yet it does not mean that the yearning to learn Chinese as a foreign language is as equally hot." There are much more people learning English, Spanish, French, and even Japanese, as a foreign language than those learning Chinese, as Zhang said. Although many like Zhang believe the figure of 30 million Chinese learners worldwide released officially is overestimated, there is no doubt that there are more and more foreigners taking a shine to learning Chinese. There are at least 3 million foreigners who study Chinese as a foreign language in the world. And that number is sure to be rising. Source: China Daily 07/15/2005 |
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