2015年CRI Xi Hails Role of Confucius Institutes in Britain

 

Addressing the opening ceremony of the meeting, Xi Jinping is hailing the role of the Confucius Institutes in promoting Chinese culture worldwide.

The President says Confucius Institutes, as well as Confucius Classrooms, are important platforms for the world to get to know China.

"As important windows and bridges for linguistic¹ and cultural exchanges between China and the world, Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms have played an active role in helping² people around the world learn Mandarin³, as well as understand China's culture. They have also made important contributions to China's people-to-people exchanges around the world, as well as the development of a diverse and colorful world civilization"

Xi Jinping was welcomed to the event in London by students at the Institutes, who serenaded him with a Chinese song and a poem written by the president himself in the 1990s.

Cameron Patterson from the University of Lancaster is among the performers.

"I think it's a very good idea to recite the poem which pays tribute to Jiao Yulu. It was also well written. I attended junior high school in China before. I remembered learning a lesson called 'Oasis⁴ in the Desert', which tells the story about Jiao Yulu."

Jiao Yulu is revered⁵ as a model official in China who worked in remote Lankao County in Henan during the 1960s.

There are currently 29 Confucius Institutes and 126 Confucius Classrooms in the UK, which is more than in any other country in Europe.

Xi Jinping says he hopes the teachers at the Confucius Institutes can help support the government's goal of creating stronger China-UK relations.

"I hope the Confucius Institutes will continue to follow their motto, which is mutual⁶ respect, friendly ties, equality and mutual benefit. We hope the teachers at the schools will be able to help deepen cultural exchanges, communication and developing minds to promote the diversity of civilizations around the world."

Following the ceremony, Xi Jinping, along with Prince Andrew, inaugurated the world's 1000th Confucius Institute in the British crown dependency of Jersey⁷ Island.

The Confucius Institutes are non-profit educational organizations put together by China's Ministry⁸ of Education.

The program itself began in 2004.

The Confucius Institute is sometimes compared to language and cultural promotion⁹ organizations such as the British Council, France's Alliance Fran?aise and Germany's Goethe-Institute, among others.

But compared to those organizations, Confucius Institutes are set up within established universities, colleges, and secondary schools around the world.

For CRI, I'm XYee.

1 linguistic   

adj.语言的，语言学的

参考例句：

• She is pursuing her linguistic researches.她在从事语言学的研究。
• The ability to write is a supreme test of linguistic competence.写作能力是对语言能力的最高形式的测试。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

4 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

5 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

6 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

7 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。