Volunteer teachers from UCD CI visit UCC CI

On November 24^th, 2019, with support from the Education Team of the Chinese Embassy in Ireland, 17 volunteer teachers from the UCD Confucius Institute led by Mr. Wei Zhang , the Chinese Dean of UCD Confucius Institute, visited the UCC Confucius Institute. Volunteer teachers from the two institutes gathered to share their experiences on the topic of cultural exchanges between China and Ireland.

Ms. Xiaohong Xu, the Chinese Dean of the UCC Confucius Institute, first recalled the volunteer teacher symposium held at the UCD Confucius Institute on November 1^st. She stated the benefits of the previous teaching trials and experience sharing and hoped that this Volunteer Teacher’s Exchange would also contribute to the exchanges between the two sides and therefore inspire teaching.

Professor Chris Williams, Dean of the UCC Confucius Institute, provided an introduction to University College Cork and the Confucius Institute there. Founded in 1845, University College Cork is one of the oldest universities in Ireland and is also one of the four National Universities of Ireland. Professor Williams mentioned that University College Cork works closely in cooperation and exchanges with Chinese universities in academic research and teaching, and the Confucius Institute in the university has played an important role in this.

In addition, a special invitation was sent to Mr. Pat Ledwidge, former Deputy Chief Executive of Cork City Council, to attend this Volunteer Teacher’s Exchange Meeting. Pat described the history of Cork City since 1545 and provided volunteer teachers with tips for living in Ireland. He also introduced the cooperative relations between Cork and Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Wuxi, and explained the similarities between the Chinese and Irish people from the perspectives of culture, economy and society. Pat believes that the UCC Confucius Institute has made an important contribution to the cooperation and exchange between Cork and China.

Mr. Wei Zhang , the Chinese Dean of UCD Confucius Institute, mentioned in his speech that language is an important part of cultural exchanges between different countries, and the two Confucius Institutes have played a role in promoting Chinese language and cultural exchanges for many years. In addition, he believes that the exchanges between China and Ireland cannot be separated from the support of the government. Indeed, the completion of the UCD Confucius Institute Building is the fruit of this cooperation. Mr. Wei Zhang finally presented a souvenir to the UCC Confucius Institute on behalf of the UCD Confucius Institute while expressing hope that the two colleges would continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation in the future.

In the subsequent questions and exchanges, volunteer teachers from the two CIs discussed in depth how to strengthen cultural exchanges between China and Ireland and the role of the Confucius Institute in the Irish education system.