From October 15 to 19, 2023, at the invitation of the British side, under the leadership of Ma Lijun, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Minister of Organization, Minister of Publicity, and chairman of the Trade Union, Professor Feng Guoxin, Director of the British Studies Center of our University, and Professor Jiang Guo, Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office and Dean of the School of International Education, visited the Confucius Institute for Northern Ireland jointly built by Ulster University (UU) and Hubei Normal University (HBNU). I visited the Confucius Classroom at Milburn Primary School and went to the English Language Centre of the Ministry of Education in the UK to report on the work of the Confucius Institute. Dr. Liu Yan, the foreign director of the Confucius Institute, and Dr. Liu Xingchi, the Chinese director, participated in the relevant activities.

 

On October 16, Professor Cathy Gormley-Sinan, Vice President of the University of Ulster, warmly received the delegation and held a ceremony to celebrate the 11th anniversary of the establishment of the Confucius Institute for Northern Ireland at Ulster University (CINIUU). She reviewed and summarized the growth and development of the Confucius Institute. It reviewed the outstanding achievements of the Confucius Institute in international Chinese language communication, enhancing Chinese and English communication, establishing friendly international relations, and strengthening school-level cooperation, and issued certificates to the outstanding personnel assessed during their tenure, and signed an international exchange agreement between the two schools' teachers. During the discussion and exchange session, leaders of some departments and colleges of Ulster University and representatives of professors reached a lot of consensus with the delegation on carrying out cooperative research of teachers, international exchange of students, joint training of graduate students, construction of British research center of Hubei Normal University, and platform sharing.

On October 17, during the Confucius Classroom research at Milburn Primary School, Ms. Sharon Lamont, Principal of the school, and Ma Lijun, Deputy Secretary of the school, lit a birthday candle to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hubei Normal University and briefly summarized the achievements in Chinese language learning, unique cultural exchanges, and special activities. Subsequently, the Milburn Primary School Choir performed the chorus Little Swallow and the recitation of ancient Chinese poems and other programs. Their wonderful singing and recitation touched all the teachers and students present. Volunteers from the Confucius Institute also performed the traditional Chinese Peking Opera Cloud Skirt and Water Sleeves and the Sichuan Opera Face Change, which were applauded by the teachers and students of Milburn Primary School. Finally, the delegation also visited the campus and appreciated the Chinese Zodiac paper-cuts, hand-made sculptures, and special Chinese paintings made by the teachers and students of Milburn Primary School. They were deeply impressed by their strong interest in Chinese culture. Before leaving, Secretary Ma expressed his sincere gratitude to Milburn Primary School for its warm reception and hoped that all teachers and volunteers of the Confucius Institute in our school would remain committed to providing quality Chinese education to Northern Ireland, spreading excellent Chinese culture, building cultural Bridges, and acting as ambassadors of international friendship.

In addition, the delegation also visited the Northern Ireland Assembly, Belfast City Hall, and the Chinese Consulate General in Belfast, and held consultations on further strengthening international exchanges.

On October 18, the delegation stopped in London and paid a special visit to the English Language Cooperation Center of the Ministry of Education in the UK to report on the construction of the Confucius Institute in our university and conduct in-depth exchanges on the operation and development of the Confucius Institute.

This visit has reached several cooperation consensus, which has broadened the direction and ideas of the future construction and development of the UK Research Center and the Confucius Institute.