University of Pittsburgh's Confucius Institute Named Confucius Institute of the Year

PITTSBURGH-The Chinese Ministry of Education's Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) named the Asian Studies Center's Confucius Institute (CI-Pitt) at the University of Pittsburgh one of 20 Confucius Institutes of the Year during the organization's third conference, which was held in Beijing Dec. 9-11.

Established in May 2007, CI-Pitt was the first Confucius Institute in Pennsylvania. Since then, CI-Pitt has experienced rapid growth-expanding from two to 10 Chinese teachers, from three to 25 partner schools, from three to 69 Chinese classes, and from 49 to about 1,200 students.

Initiated by the State Council of China in 1987, the Confucius Institutes are a joint effort of 12 national-level ministries and commissions in China. Confucius Institutes promote and enhance the understanding of Chinese language and culture worldwide. The first Confucius Institute was established in Seoul, Korea in 2004. There are 295 Confucius Institutes in 78 countries and regions worldwide.

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12/17/08/tmw