It was in the fall of 2019 that, thanks to the cultural and educational cooperation between the University of Debrecen (UD) and its Chinese partner institution in the city of Tianjin, the Confucius Institute of the Faculty of Humanities (BTK) at the University of Debrecen was inaugurated, with Dr. Cui Xianjun as its founding Chinese director.
At present, there are more than 500 such institutes operating worldwide, with the one in Debrecen being the fifth to have been established in Hungary. The chief activities of our CI include the teaching of the Mandarin Chinese language and promoting Chinese culture in general. In addition, this institute hosts a series of cultural events, such as lectures, film screenings and various holiday-related celebrations for high school and university students, teachers and city residents alike.
Due to his previous academic and personal connections, Professor Cui Xianjun studied Italian in 2002 in Siena, Italy, where he became acquainted with European culture. Prior to his arrival in Debrecen, he had also taken part in a training program for Chinese directors at Kunming Yunnan Normal University, where he also learned about Hungary and Hungarian culture among other things.
- It meant quite a lot to me that, during one of my European assignments, I had a roommate who was a young man from Hungary. This helped me gain first-hand experience and learn about the basic Hungarian traditions before I arrived here. Yet, because I had never been to Hungary before, I also prepared some research material in order to assist me in overcoming the cultural differences. In addition, Tianjin Foreign Studies University (TFSU), which offers 36 majors in foreign languages and maintains cooperative relationships with approximately 200 institutions internationally with a highlight on language teaching, had also Hungarian students in the past, whom I taught- said the director, recalling the early stages of getting acquainted with our culture.
At the University of Debrecen, his first and foremost task was to lay the foundations for the operations of the local Confucius Institute and to organize its teaching activities.
- I did not have a crystal-clear idea of how much interest there would be in Chinese language and culture or how many students I could expect to sign up for our courses. The biggest challenge, or difficulty perhaps, was not to be too worried about the university’s expectations, since there were only two Chinese teachers at the institute at that time, including myself. Nevertheless, we got all the necessary assistance from the leadership of the Faculty of Humanities to help us settle in and overcome the initial difficulties. In addition, the Chinese Embassy and its staff members also extended their constant support in carrying out my tasks. Furthermore, I soon received assistance from other Chinese teachers who arrived later as well as from local Chinese businesspeople, while the members of CSAD, the Chinese Student Association of Debrecen, were also instrumental in helping me. Personally, I tried to meet all the challenges and expectations with heartfelt commitment, with my wife being one of my main pillars of support- said Cui Xianjun to hirek.unideb.hu.
The success of the work and efforts invested has been indicated by the results of the past more than seven years. Today, the courses offered by the institute have been integrated into the university credit system. There has been a set of rules established in order to support the CI’s proper operation, while its educational and cultural activities meet the expectations of the leadership of both the university and the city. Student interest is outstanding, with cultural courses reaching maximum enrollment figures in no time, and the single task for the future is to concentrate on expanding the pool of the learners of Mandarin Chinese language.
- I believe that we are indeed a magnificent bridge between Hungary and China, as well as between Debrecen and Tianjin. One of the results of this relationship has been the establishment of a sister-city connection. Apart from education and the transfer of cultural knowledge, our top-priority tasks also include scholarly activities, as a result of which we have held as many as seven conferences in the city of Gyomaendrőd over the past seven years and also organized a national symposium in Mád for the Confucius Institutes operating in Hungary- said the director.
As regards the long-term plans of the CI, Dr. Cui Xianjun highlighted that the cooperation between the University of Debrecen and Tianjin Foreign Studies University is expected to expand further this year.
Press Center – BZs