On 12 February 2016, an informal forum for UK Confucius Institutes directors was held at the Confucius Institute for TCM (CITCM) at London South Bank . Nearly 30 directors from 20 Confucius Institutes in the UK attended this event.
The participants discussed possible areas of collaboration between the UK Confucius Institutes and commented on different challenges and opportunities which may arise in the golden era in Sino-British relations. Professor PENG Yi, director of the Confucius Institute at De Montfort University said, “Today’s forum was really great. We shared our experiences and learned from each other. I hope there will be more events like this in the future.” Professor SHEN Wei, Director of the Confucius Institute at Lancaster University, thought that everyone expressed their ideas in an honest manner and voiced the difficulties they have encountered as well as their solutions. She expressed that we can “overcome our own weaknesses by learning from others’ strengths so that all Confucius Institutes in the UK have better prospects.”
Professor XU Yinong, Director of CITCM, emphasized, “If Confucius Institutes work separately and in segregation, our “distinctiveness” is no longer distinctive. Regardless of sizes and specialities, all Confucius Institutes are equal partners. Our concerted efforts and collaborative work will be crucial in our shared cultural enterprise for the benefit of all in both China and the UK.”