Hanban provides grant for establishment of Confucius Institute at Ateneo de Manila University

On April 2, 2005, Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) signed the Letter of Intent with the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) to establish a Confucius Institute. The formal inauguration was held on October 3, 2006 with Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU) in Guangzhou as the partner university. It is the first such institute established in the Philippines. It aims to promote Chinese language, culture, and knowledge of contemporary China in Philippine mainstream society. The financial value of the establishment of this Confucius Institute is unknown. On September 25, 2010, the Institute moved to its new home at the 6th floor of the Ateneo Professional Schools in Salcedo Village, Makati City. The place, all of 1,000 square meters, houses classrooms, consultations rooms, a Chinese culture experience center, and a reading room. The University's commitment to the promotion of Chinese Studies was strengthened with the establishment of the Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies on September, 1, 2005. The center is supported by an endowment fund from Mr. Ricardo Leong, an alumnus of the school. Since its inauguration, the Institute has been offering year-round Mandarin classes to the general public in Metro Manila. It offers four (4) cycles of classes per year, with more than 20 classes and about 200 to 300 participants per cycle. It has conducted 12 such cycles, with a total of more than 3000 students. Language classes cover Basic 1 – 6, Practical Spoken Chinese 4-5, Intermediate 1-5, and Business Chinese 1-3. Aside from the Mandarin courses, Chinese Painting and Taijiquan (Basic and Advance) are also offered. A Special Program CI at AdMU conducts classes for the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) China Scholarship Program. GBF was founded by Mr. John Gokongwei, Jr. (吴奕辉) who wants to through scholarships “generate a pool of young Filipinos who will develop a keen understanding of the opportunities and challenges presented by socio-political and economic developments in China." Language classes include Chinese Language, Listening, Spoken Chinese, and Reading/Character Recognition. The scholars are taught by five (5) teachers, four (4) of them are the volunteer teachers from SYSU and one Chinese Studies Program faculty and CI Coordinator. The Institute organized a Summer Enrichment Program for children (7-12 years old) and teenagers (14-17 years old) at Xavier School, San Juan in April and May (summer months in the Philippines). The Program included Mandarin Enrichment for Kids, Mandarin Enrichment for Teenagers, and Chinese Painting for Kids. A total of 43 young Filipinos aged 7 to 17 years old enrolled in these classes. The Institute held its first HSK exams in September 2008. A total of 592 examinees took HSK in the Institute. For 2009, it had a total of 278 examinees. CI at AdMU organized a number of cultural activities including the Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, film festivals, the Chinese Bridge Competition, cultural performances, the celebration of 60th Anniversary of People’s Republic of China, and several Chinese Painting workshops and exhibits. It invited a troupe of 15 students from SYSU to hold cultural performances in Metro Manila. CI at AdMU also held cultural activities for the 40 GBF scholars. With such activities that promote the Chinese culture, the Institute continues to increase its influence in the country. The Institute organized 41 lectures and film showings on different aspects of China and its people: Economy, Political System, Society, Art, History, Philosophy, Literature, and Culture for the GBF Scholarship Program.

Number of official sources

4

Number of total sources

16