About Us
The University of Manchester is the proud home of the 2nd Confucius Institute in the UK, a partnership between the University of Manchester, the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) and Beijing Normal University. The Institute received its approval from Hanban in July 2005 and was formally launched in October 2006.
Manchester CI has two agendas: language teaching and teacher training; promoting the understanding of Chinese culture and contemporary China. In less than 2 years’ time, we managed to establish ourselves as the centre of Chinese language learning and the hub of Chinese culture in the North West.
We have established links with over 20 schools in the North West region and delivered hundreds of language tasters and cultural workshops for thousands of pupils. Our intereactive sessions are often the first taster of Chinese language and culture to many kids. Our evening language and cultural classess have attracted over 500 people for a minimum of 6 weeks. We also actively initiate and participate China themed activities. We are building up a reputation among the local communities, regional governments, schools and cultural agencies.
We helped to set up the 1st Confucius Classroom in a primary school at St Paul's CE Primary School, Withington, where children of Year 3 and Year 4 are learning Chinese as a curriculum subject. We are also managing the British government sponsored Study China Programme, which we select 450 undergraduates from across the UK to attend a 3-week study programme in China each year. This project started in the summer 2007 and continues for 2008 and 2009.
Since our inception in October 2006, some of our activities have been reported by the UK and Chinese media. The establishment of the Institute received attention from Chinese Xinhua News Agency. The popular cultural workshops at the local schools including Rumworth School for Disabled children in Bolton were reported by People's Daily, and the setup of the first Confucius Classroom in a primary school (St Paul's CE Primary School, Withington) in the UK was widely reported locally and nationally by BBC, Granada, M Channel, Manchester Evening News, Guardian and etc. Please see the reports here.