The Durban University of Technology (DUT) Confucius Institute (CI), in partnership with Fujian Foreign Affairs Office, will be hosting DUT CI’s 10th anniversary in Durban on Tuesday, 19 September 2023. The celebration will also include a signing ceremony between DUT and the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) at the Coastlands Musgrave Hotel on Monday afternoon. FAFU is DUT’s sister university in Fuzhou, China.
The DUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Thandwa Mthembu will be hosting a senior Chinese delegation, which will be led by the Governor of Fujian Province, His Excellency Mr ZHAO Long, and includes the Chairman of FAFU, Prof WANG Jiannan, together with other senior officials from Fujian Province who will be accompanied by the Chinese Consul-General in Durban, His Excellency Mr LI Zhigong.
The Chinese delegation will visit the DUT Confucius Institute office on the M.L Sultan campus and they will also get a chance to engage with DUT students who are currently learning Mandarin at the Confucius Institute. Later that afternoon, at Coastlands Musgrave Hotel, Prof Mthembu and Prof WANG are set to sign two agreements, the first is a renewal agreement for the DUT CI to continue with the partnership between FAFU and DUT. The second signing is a Strategic Cooperation agreement between DUT, FAFU, and the Xiamen BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Centre. The DUT Confucius Institute will also announce the establishment of DUT CI “Chinese+” Vocational Skill Training Centre and the SA Smart JUNCAO Technology Platform.
In an exciting development, the DUT CI will also launch the first Chinese Learning Dictionary in isiZulu.
Providing insight on the DUT CI, Mr Frank WU, Director of the DUT Confucius Institute indicated that since its establishment in 2013, the DUT CI has been committed to meet the needs of the Durban community and to help satisfy their desire to learn about Chinese culture. The DUT CI also helped a large number of people who were looking for numerous opportunities in China, by implementing different Mandarin language programmes and two ways exchange projects.
“In August 2023, during his visit for the BRICS Summit, Chinese President Xi Jingping officially replied to a letter from the students of the Confucius Institute at the Durban University of Technology. In his letter, President Xi said that he had witnessed the establishment of the DUT CI 10 years ago and he was very pleased to see that, through the joint efforts of both sides, the educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries have yielded fruitful results,” said Mr WU.
According to Mr WU, the DUT CI has offered various types of Chinese language and cultural courses to nearly 10 000 registered learners. The DUT CI has gradually developed into an influential Chinese language teaching centre in Durban and an important cooperative platform in various fields, not only limited to education and culture.
“In December 2020, the Chinese International Education Foundation formally approved the application of the DUT CI to become a global model Confucius Institute, with a focus on the “Chinese+” vocational skills and technical training centre. This model Confucius Institute at DUT opens an exciting chapter of Innovation and Vocational Training. As the Global Model Confucius Institute, the DUT CI has become a pioneering one-stop service centre for language teaching, cultural experience and providing technology, innovation and entrepreneurship support. It will enable Chinese language learners to make full use of the knowledge they have learnt, to make the difference and eventually contribute to the cultural exchanges between South Africa and China and to enhance local economic development,” added Mr WU.
He also shared that a former Mandarin student at the DUT CI, Mr Sanele Ntuli, who is now a Mandarin lecturer at the DUT CI got a chance to travel to China in 2018, during the winter camp and in 2019, Ntuli was awarded with a Confucius Institute Scholarship to study Mandarin at Fujian Normal University in China.
Speaking about why students should learn Mandarin, DUT Mandarin lecturer, Mr Sanele Ntuli said: “It is the key to a new gateway and it brings a great opportunity to the youth, to make a positive difference. It helps the local youth and community to find employment in Chinese companies and it encourages students to learn to think outside the box and to start their own business.”
Zooming in on the DUT CI’s 10th Anniversary, Mr WU said that 2023 marks the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between South Africa and China, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the DUT Confucius Institute.
“DUT CI was established in March 2013, under the witness of Chinese President Xi Jinping during his first diplomatic visit after his inauguration. DUT CI will continually work as a bridge and be committed to implementing different Mandarin programmes and skills training programmes, for example, e-commerce training and agriculture skills training. Moreover, we are going to launch projects to support innovation and entrepreneurship, like the Agri-hub project and the SA Youth Entrepreneurs Incubation Overseas Centre,” shared Mr WU.
He encouraged students who are keen on learning Mandarin to visit the DUT CI offices on the third floor of the Miriam Bee Building on Durban’s M.L Sultan campus.
Pictured: DUT Confucius Institute will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of its establishment.
Simangele Zuma
