Our partners: The Chinese Student and Scholar Association

28 February 2017

Under the guidance of Education Section, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, CSSA organises, sponsors and supports various social activities among Chinese students and scholars in Manchester.

Image of CSSA logo

Q&A with Ms Chao Li, President of CSSA Manchester

Who are the members of CSSA and what is the membership of CSSA Manchester?
Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), is the umbrella organisation for globally set-up societies serving Chinese students and scholars studying/working outside China. The members of CSSA include both overseas Chinese students and scholars. CSSA Manchester is registered with the Student Union of UoM.  We have over 6000 members studying and living in Manchester, including University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Salford University and Royal Northern College of Music.


What projects have you worked with Confucius Institute and what are in the pipeline?
We’ve been working with CI on a variety of projects, including the Language Partner Event where Chinese students are paired up with those who are studying Chinese at the University of Manchester, Mandarin Corner, Chinese Culture Festival, and 2017 Manchester Chinese New Year & UK Lantern Festival Gala. Future projects focusing on student support and culture exchange are in the pipeline, including the promotion of university regulations and support services, a series of culture exchange events. Ideas include a bilingual creative writing workshop, Chinese film appreciation and tailored tours to discover British culture. These events are designed for both Chinese students and other international and local students in Manchester who are interested in Chinese culture.


Why do you choose Confucius Institute as your partner?
CSSA Manchester, established in 1982, has always aimed to support Chinese students and scholars in Manchester and to promote Chinese cultures to local and other international communities. With the dramatic growth in the number of Chinese students in Manchester in recent years, CSSA Manchester faces great opportunities as well as pressures to achieve its objectives.
Confucius Institute at The University of Manchester is one of the most established CIs across the UK, with a strong reputation in Chinese language teaching, culture promotion and exchange. We believe that our partnership with CI provides strong support for CSSA Manchester to organise more and better activities to promote Chinese culture and facilitate culture exchange in universities. Furthermore, since CI is part of the University and has close connections with other university departments, partnership with CI can bring in important resources for CSSA Manchester to co-develop more favourable and beneficial projects for Chinese students in Manchester.

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