2. The Profound Causes of Vigorous Development of theConfucius   Institute

2.1 Vigorous Development of the Confucius Institute is Inevitable   

It is so delightful that a worldwide interest in Chinese is increasing at an accelerating speed. According to the official report, there are about 3000 high school in 109 countries teach Chinese. Another data has proved students who learn Chinese not only from Southeast Asia but also western countries. Now many countries and regions offer the courses help to learn Chinese in the institutions of higher learning and middle school. Take the United States for an example, there are more than 700 schools which offer Chinese course. United States established the China-US Cultural Forum, which was launched in 2008 by China’s Ministry of Culture and the National Endowment for the Humanities in the US in order to adapt to the fever of learning Chinese. United States has regarded Chinese as one of the strategic language. To meet the need of Chinese learners, U.S. Federal Government allocates money to encourage people to learn Chinese. These institutes will create more learning opportunities by offering Chinese-language classes in U.S. communities as well as primary and high schools. At this moment, US have the largest number of Confucius Institute established in its education system compared with other countries. All kinds of indications make it clear that a fever of learning Chinese is spread in the whole world. Vigorous development of the Confucius Institute is inevitable.   

2.2 China's Economic Power has Increased so has its Cultural Power

    Earthshaking changes have been registered in the vast land of China thanks to     the introduction of the reform and opening up policy. Since 1978, China began to make major reforms to its economy. The Chinese leadership adopted a pragmatic perspective on many political and socioeconomic problems, and quickly began to introduce aspects of a capitalist economic system. With our unremitting efforts, it began to generate significant and steady growth in investment, consumption and standards of living. China’s economic power has increased, so has its cultural power. China is trying to unleash its soft power of culture overseas based on its economic states.

    According to the website of International Monetary Fund, it is not hard for us to get the information that China had overtaken Japan to become the world's second-largest economy as a result of more than thirty years of rapid economic expansion. ^[5] China now participates extensively in the world market and private sector companies play a major role in the economy. The cultural elements intermingle with economic factors. The intensified and the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the other countries have provided historic opportunity for the flourish of Chinese cultural industries. At the same time, China’s economic power laid a good economic foundation for China’s peaceful rise and the vigorous development of the Confucius Institute. China’s much-noted economic progress has been accompanied by a steady expansion in its cultural and diplomatic influence globally, especially in the developing world.

2.3 China’s “Peaceful Rise” with Peaceful Culture

    The greatest merit of the “China’s Peaceful Rise” is that the nations rise with a civilization oriented pattern. As we know, to some extent, the rise of some western countries relied on the exploitation of aggression as well as the internal transfer of power or ideological and cultural westernization. What distinguishes China and the other countries is that China relies on peaceful policy instead of the aggression and exploitation. Wartime atrocities in the past have made an indelible impression on the Chinese people, leading them to desire and cherish peace and stability. Just like Max Weber is known as a principal architect of modern social science along with Karl Marx and Emil Durkheim. He wrote the book KONFUZIANISMUS UNDTAOISMUS, which pointed out that although there were so much wars broke out in China, China still gradually became the country consists of peaceful culture. ^[6] Moreover, The Book of History, an ancient classic in China for example, advocated amity among people and friendly exchanges among nations. With a history of 5000 years of ancient civilization, China is the birthplace of peaceful culture.  

     Loving peace, honoring promises and living in harmony with all others far and near is an important part of China's cultural heritage. China will never seek hegemony and never go in for expansion. The argument that a big power is bound to seek hegemony does not apply to China because seeking hegemony goes against China's cultural tradition as well as the will of the Chinese people. Since the ancient time, most Chinese people are even-tempered and they lead a simple life without worldly desires .Taking the Confucianism for example, Confucius humanity theory is the basis of humanity theory in Confucianism. Humanity, that is, humans presented by Confucius has established an indispensable relationship between the theory on human in Confucianism and its humanity theory. ^[7] The Chinese cultural tradition values peace as the most precious, which has nurtured the broad mind of the Chinese nation. The Chinese nation is generous and tolerant, just as Mother Earth cares for all living things. Therefore, China's peaceful culture is of long standing and well established so that widely respected by the people all over the world.

2.4 Cultural Impact of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games    

     The grand Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is considered as the truly exceptional game, which puts China under increased international scrutiny regarding its role in the world. The Olympic Games is not only a great sporting event and it also offers a platform for cultural exchanges. There is no doubt that China makes it a grand gathering that carries forward the Olympic spirit, promotes world peace and enhances the friendship among people of the world, so that the Olympic spirit will flourish once again in China, an oriental country with an ancient civilization. The Olympic spirit-solidarity, friendship and peace are totally spread again in orient cultural ancient China, which changed how the world views the china in a certain sense.

     Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is not only an unprecedented sports event, but also a great development in the cultural renaissance for China. In the cultural aspects, the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is a feast of Chinese culture elements for the whole world. Millions of foreign tourists become Chinese culture propaganda in unconscious. Huge pictures with famous sentences from The Analects of Confucius like “What a joy it is to have friends coming from afar” “All Men Are Brothers”, displaying to people all around the world. It integrated typical Chinese culture elements with modern visual art, creating the quintessential Chinese culture space quite different. Especially the word “Humanity” was constantly changed by the printed version captivated the audience with their exquisite skills. What is more, traditional Chinese folk art wads on display. Artist Zhang Fengqin was showing her paper cutting skills to all over the world. Breda Atta-quayson, deputy editor of Daily Graphic, said: “What have impressed me most it that the Chinese people have not lost their traditional culture. With modern development they still have their Chinese culture. They way they behave, and most importantly, they way they look after the elderly people. ”

     The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games is the praise of the Chinese Confucianism. The world learned more about China, and vice versa through the Beijing Olympic Games. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is a golden opportunity for profound Chinese culture to be carried forward. What the Beijing Olympic Games showcased is a colorful China with the brand-new image, both ancient and modern. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is a great promoter and a new wave of Chinese learning has emerged all over the world .Therefore, it is time for China to seize this opportunity to give priority to the development of its culture, that is, the Confucius Institute.

3 .The significance of Propagating Chinese culture to the world

3.1 Constructing China’s Soft Power in the Multicultural Context.

      Hardly a country in the 21^st century can be free of the haunt of culture. That is to say, we are more or less influenced by culture. No culture can flourish in isolation. However, does it mean that all multifarious cultures all over the world to be mixed into one single “global culture”? Out of question, the answer is no.  

     Joseph Nye, university distinguished service professor at Harvard University, who coined the term “Soft Power” in the late 1980s.^[8] “Soft Power” is the ability to shape the preferences of others.^[9] Some have described it as cultural power, the power of example, or the power of ideas and ideals.^[10] So what is soft power? According to Joseph Nye, Soft power refers to a nation winning influence abroad by persuasion and appeal rather than by threats or military force. The world is currently going through a period of great development and momentous changes. Contemporary China is striding towards new objectives at a new starting point in history, and culture is playing a more extensive and profound role than ever before. China wants the world to admire a "Rising China" not only for its phenomenal economic accomplishments and growing military prowess but also for culture with Chinese characteristics in the multicultural context, just like John Derbyshire writes in the National Review Online that China is making its unique cultural headway around the world. China is a multinational country with a long history and splendid culture, which is rich, extensive and profound. About 2,500 years ago, Confucius, a Chinese thinker and philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese thought and life.He traveled through various states to spread his ideas. Culture expressed by Confucius Institute is highly cohesive and inspiring.

     China is applying its unique cultural influence in the multiculturalism with the vigorous development of the Confucius Institute. ^[11] Harmonious culture contains harmonious cultural spirit, harmonious value conception and harmonious philosophic thinking mode. The spirit of Confucianism holds benevolence as its core value, which has positive significance in Chinese culture. The harmonious thought is the basic spirit of Chinese culture, such as “peace is most precious”, “harmony without uniformity”. People may have access to learn about this kind of China’s harmonious culture though the vigorous development of the Confucius Institute. China’s ancient sage is helping China to construct the Chinese culture. Confucius Institutes are showing the culture with Chinese characteristics.

3.2 Innovating the Channels of the Cultural Transmission Aboard

    In the 15th century, the renowned Chinese navigator Zheng He led seven maritime expeditions to the Western Seas and reached over 30countries. He took with him Chinese tea, silk and porcelain as he sailed along. He was truly regarded as a messenger of Chinese culture. As a matter of fact, through the course of Opening Eyes and Seeing the World Movement, Westernization Movement, 100 Days Reform Movement, May Fourth Movement, New Democratic Revolution and Socialist Revolution, Chinese culture has been developing, enriching and booming at all ages. There is no denying the fact that Chinese culture is bound to be developed at home and extended aboard.

    China used to propagate its culture through common way such as mass media. How to deal with the Chinese Cultural innovation have been pivotal issues weigh on Chinese mind. Nowadays, China is trying to expand the channels of the cultural transmission aboard. Therefore, China speeds up the process of building the “Confucius Institute” abroad, which serves as a base for Chinese language teaching and cultural exchange by giving non-degree courses. Established in 2004, the institute was set up in order to not only meet the rapidly growing demand for training in Chinese language but also facilitate cultural interchange in various countries.^[12]The school not only offers the students an opportunity to learn the Chinese language but through it they learn the Chinese culture. With the support from people of all the relevant countries and the benefits from multiculturalism, Confucius Institutes have grown strongly since their inception, providing convenience for people around the world to learn Chinese and understand the Chinese culture in their home countries. It is easy to make a conclusion that Confucius Institute is a monumental work worthy of China's new cultural innovation.

3.3 Modifying China’s Image and Promoting Foreign Cooperation

As the sleeping Chinese dragon awoke gradually, the West felt uneasy. China had fostered unprecedented links with the expanded world in politics, economy, culture“, security and other domain. When China had won acclaims for its significant economic and social achievements since the reform and opening-up, such as China's high-speed increase in GDP, huge foreign currency reserve and striking consumption capability in luxury commodities, did give the western world a hefty blow. Therefore, the West's unease began turning into fear, giving rise to the “China threat theory” which is bandied about so rampantly across the world today.

Korean scholar Li Yangzhou criticized the “China threat theory” and pointed that “in twenty-first Century China will constitute a strong external expansion based on its fast development, but the view of China threat theory is absurd.” What is more, Wang Fan, assistant president of China Foreign Affairs University said that “some countries should stop miscalculating that China might make concessions regarding its sovereignty simply for the sake of stability.” Even though China does not seek hegemony and power politics, neither does it expand its military influence overseas, China still need to clarify as well as smooth the "China threat "theory over step by step. ^[13]The question is how the message of peaceful development will be received by China's neighbors in East and South Asia because there are doubts about China rising peacefully.

 China’s relationship with the world is still evolving. Greater knowledge of the outside world and greater knowledge by the outside world of China are essential to greater understanding and cooperation between China and the world. One the one hand, the world needs to know China better. Only when they know the truth Chinese culture can they understand that the China threat theory has no standing point in China. China’s development harms no one and threatens no one. On the other hand, we need to be fully aware of the seriousness and complexity of the struggle in the ideological field. We must be alert in this regard, and take effective measures to prevent and respond to relevant risks. Therefore, China is embracing the world with Confucius Institute. The vigorous development of the Confucius Institute is exactly the peaceful voice of China, making the world heard that the Chinese government's goal is to build a harmonious society not only in the country, but also across the world. China will unswervingly adhere to its solemn commitment to never seek hegemony over any other country or be expansionist. Confucius Institute breaks down the barriers and misunderstanding though its peaceful, attractive teaching ways. All the regions can apply for establishing Confucius Institute based on the will of the natives and Chinese. Confucius Institute seizes this time as a tool to spread Chinese culture, value system so that people have access to understand China better. Through expending the cultural information and the values aboard, the country will increase its cultural influence and to construct the widespread international recognition of the nation’s image.

3.4 Flourishing of Chinese Cultural Industries.

Confucius Institute not only plays a role in promoting the education-oriented cultural undertaking but also has far-reaching influence on China’s cultural undertaking. ^[14]Confucius Institute is bound to generate a new China’s public cultural, which provided services widely like degree and non-degree education and supplementary resources, under the trend of a wave of Chinese learning has emerged all over the world. Confucius Institute also made all efforts to satisfy current market demand with Chinese style products and services.

After years of effort, Confucius Institute will gradually build a world-class education industry, which provides a golden opportunity to internationalize China's higher education and helps to lead the Chinese culture to the outside world. Confucius Institute lays a good foundation for the further development of China's Higher Education.

3.5 Advocating a New Concept of Diverse Civilizations

The coming of the Axial Age is a key spiritual awakening for diversity. As an old Chinese saying goes, “One single flower is not enough to count for a spring, only a garden full flowers can be spring.” How could the park become colorful with only one kind of flower? The single flower of one civilization is not enough to decorate the art gallery of our human beings. Only with the blossom of various diversified civilizations can fully demonstrate the charm of the spring of the civilizations of mankind. How much a nation contributes to the culture all over the world is increasingly determined by his ability to spread its culture.

    In China's views, the world's diverse civilizations are the shared heritage of humanity and an invaluable source of prosperity. Sinology has made huge progress in China. Compared to the 1970s and 1980s; sinology has made significant achievements in many areas, such as number of researchers, growth margin of research fund, wide range of research topics and depth of research results. There is a quiet trend of reviewing our ancestors’ ideologies going on in the world. Such idea has been widely recognized, indicating the rejuvenation of Chinese culture and continuation of the exploration of studying Chinese culture by establish Confucius Institute in a certain sense. Meanwhile, China’s ancient sage Confucius put forward “He Er Bu Tong” (peaceful but different or harmonious while diversified). ^[15] Although people have differences in opinions, interests, preferences and profiles, they should first keep peace, and people should live in harmony with each other and meanwhile keep their diversity.Confucius Institute is serving as a bridge of culture and partnership between China and the world. It offers a platform for cultural exchanges. From the perspective of communication, Confucius Institute sets up a two-way bridge: on the one hand, Confucius Institute is where China got invented every day. On the other hand, in order to serve the Chinese culture and prompt Chinese culture to the international level, Confucius Institute absorbs the outstanding components from the exchange activities with foreign culture. Overall, the world is colorful a hundred flowers bloom.

3.6 Making Contributions to the World Peace and Prosperity

Since entering the 21st century, the world has continued to undergo profound changes. World multipolarization and economic globalization are developing in greater depth. Science and technology are making rapid progress as human society advances at accelerated pace. The spread of information technology has changed the way people live and work and made relations among countries and civilizations more complicated. New situations and new contradictions keep cropping up without letup. Peace is the irresistible trend of the times. Maintaining world peace and promoting common development remains the mission of all countries in the world. To establish a harmonious world, all countries need to stay together and work closely for and push for dialogues, exchanges and tolerance between and among civilizations. Mutual learning and exchanges of languages and cultures are important ways to enhance the communication and understanding among nations in order to build a harmonious world featuring sustained peace and common prosperity.

As the largest developing country and an emerging economy, China has put forward the thinking “Confucius Institute” with the aim of building a harmonious society with lasting peace and common prosperity. As a matter of fact, the vigorous development of the Confucius Institute is a path of developing itself while maintaining world peace and promoting world peace with its own development. It is a path of coordinating domestic development with opening-up to the outside world, a path that helps to overcome the boundaries and obstacles within our minds, discard misunderstandings and prejudice.

    China spends huge sums operating Confucius Institutes at hundreds of foreign universities, which has been making contributions to the world peace and prosperity.  Inheriting the Confucius concept of harmony being prized and striving for harmony but not sameness, Confucius Institute strengthens communication and exchanges with other countries and enhance understanding and friendship among one another.

Chinese culture and traditions can provide another angle and concept on how to deal with others and nature. The country may not understand the “Do as you would be done by others” until Confucius Institutes has occurred in its land. Only when we indeed understand as well as act as what Confucius wishes “Do as you would be done by others” to seek harmony out of differences, and to develop out of cooperation, can be sustainable peace and common prosperities of the world be achieved. Confucius Institutes is playing the unique role of the world peace and progress to enhance people-to-people communication. So long as China hold high the banner of peace and hold on to the path of peaceful development, China will continue to work with the people of all countries for a world of lasting peace and universal prosperity.

 

 

                                                                   Conclusion

 

    The ushering in of the 21st century has witnessed profound changes since the science and technology are making rapid progress as human society advances at accelerated pace. Today’s world is in an era with in-depth development of the world multipolarization, economic globalization and stronger trends of peace, development and cooperation. As the largest developing country and an emerging economy, China has put forward the thinking “Confucius Institute” with the aim of building a harmonious society with lasting peace and common prosperity. The creation of the Confucius Institute is indeed an epoch - making event in human history. Vigorous development of the Confucius Institute showed that Confucius Institutes have developed into an important brand of international Chinese education and promotion and a platform for educational and cultural cooperation between China and partner countries, benefiting from other countries’ experience in propagating their own national languages. With the unprecedented enthusiasm and unwavering support from the governments and people of all the relevant countries, Confucius Institutes around the globe have made remarkable achievements.  Confucius Institute helps to construct the culture with Chinese characteristics in the multicultural contexts; to innovate the channels of the cultural transmission aboard; to modify China’s image and promote foreign cooperation; to flourish of Chinese cultural industries; to make contributions to the world peace and prosperity. An excellent situation is prevailing in the vigorous development of the Confucius Institute.

The evolving trend of world multipolarization is a distinct characteristic of our time. The exchanges and dialogues between civilizations and their harmonious coexistence have inspired us to undertake a new mission for Confucius Institutes down the road. Our responsibility is weightier than ever before, and our journey ahead is long and arduous. So long as we hold high the banner of peace, development and cooperation, and hold on to the path of peaceful development, we will continue to make more efforts and contributions to deepening the mutual understanding between China and the countries of the world as well as a world of lasting peace and universal prosperity.

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                                                     Acknowledgements

 I would like to express my gratitude to all those who helped me during the writing of this thesis. I gratefully acknowledge the help of my supervisor, Mr. Lu Longyu, who has offered me valuable suggestions in the academic studies. In the preparation of the thesis, He has spent much time reading through each draft and provided me with inspiring advice. Without his patient instruction, insightful criticism and expert guidance, the accomplishment of this thesis would not have been possible.
    I also owe a special debt of gratitude to all the professors in Foreign Languages Institute, from whose devoted teaching and enlightening lectures I have benefited a lot and academically prepared for the thesis.