Working with communities
As a cultural institute, the Confucius Institute reaches out to local and national cultural organisations to exchange information and ideas, collaborate on intercultural projects and enrich the cultural diversity of the city and region.
Cultural partnerships
Film
The Confucius Institute is a founding member of China Film Forum UK (CFFUK) and has supported the screening of Chinese films at HOME for the past ten years.
Apart from one-off screening of mainstream and art films like If you are the one (非诚勿扰) The Golden Era (黄金时代), I am not Madam Bovary (我不是潘金莲), and Crime: Hong Kong Style, CFFUK has showcased a series of HK crime thrillers in 2016 and Creative Vision: Hong Kong Cinema 2007-2017 in 2017.
Literature
The Institute has worked closely with Manchester Literature Festival, Comma Press and the University's Translation department in introducing Chinese literature and writers to the north-west.
Since 2008, we have invited over ten authors from China and UK to share their works and stories with readers, including Xinran (薛欣然), Guo Xiaolu (郭小橹), Hong Ying (虹影), Diao Dou (刁斗), Zhu Wen (朱文), Han Dong (韩东) and Wang Anyi (王安忆).
We supported the publication of Shi Cheng (十城) by Comma Press. We are in discussion with Comma Press to bring more collections of short stories about Chinese cities to UK readers.
We also support the UK China Writers' Network and encourage young and emerging Chinese writers living in the UK to tell their stories on the page, stage and the internet.
Museums
We have strong links with the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) and have participated in the Manchester Science Festival organised by MOSI.
In 2010, the CI brought the China Space Programme: from Gun Powders to Space Rockets exhibition to Manchester and attracted thousands of visitors. We supported MOSI's links with China and invited and collaborated with Zhejiang Association of Sciences and Technology on science education.
The Institute started to survey China-related collections in the region including those at Manchester Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, Macclesfield Silk Museum in 2016, with the aim of supporting these institutions in uncovering their rich collections and making them more accessible to the general public and researchers.
The Institute will also play an active role in the exciting Lee Kai Hung Chinese Cultural Gallery project at Manchester Museum.
Local communities
We also work with local communities like Hulme Community Garden Centre, where we have created a Confucius garden and deliver gardening workshops for students and the public.
Chinese Language Teachers (CPD)
The Confucius Institute delivers regular teacher training workshops combining our rich experience of teaching in the UK and the expert knowledge of Chinese language through our partner Beijing Normal University. They are offered for free to those who are already teaching locally or who aspire to teach Chinese as a second language.
In addition, our Chinese Director observes teaching in Chinese community schools and advises head teachers on language learning. We have established an extensive network with local schools and institutions where Chinese is taught as part of the curriculum, such as Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester Grammar School and the Swire Chinese Language Programme.
As a HSK and YCT test centre, we can help schools to administer YCT tests to their pupils and advise on the syllabuses and teaching materials for this test.