CPPCC National Committee Member Jiang Kun Visits Confucius Institute at Victoria University of Wellington

On April 5th, local time, Jiang Kun, Member of CPPCC National Committee, President of Chinese Ballad Singers Association and Chairman of the Chinese Telling and Singing Art Society, leading a 9-member delegation, paid a visit to the Confucius Institute at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, where they had an informal discussion with all the staff. Tony Browne, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Confucius Institute at Victoria University of Wellington, Rebecca Needham, Foreign Director of the Confucius Institute, Zhao Yezhu, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute and others were present.

Scene of the meeting

Exchange of gifts

Needham briefed Jiang and his delegation on the status quo of the situation, major programs and related work on Chinese teaching and culture promotion at the Institute.

Based on data, Zhao Yezhu further reported on the status quo of foreign languages being taught in primary and secondary schools in New Zealand, the role of Chinese teaching in foreign language learning, and the Confucius Institute’s contributions to promoting Chinese teaching in New Zealand.

A Chinese teacher named Lu Chunxiao briefed the status of “Discover China”, a brand cultural activity by the Confucius Institute.

After listening to the work report, Jiang praised their solid work as well as the wide coverage of Chinese teaching and cultural promotion activities. He also added that Chinese teaching at the Confucius Institute, if possible, could incorporate the Chinese Quyi (Chinese folk art forms), adding a deeper motivational essence into maintaining student interest.

Da Shan, a Canadian scholar and also a famous host, shared his experience in learning Chinese. He said that Quyi could stimulate students’ enthusiasm for leaning Chinese, which fits the westerners’ participatory learning pattern. Learning such traditional art forms as tongue twister, allegro and Sanjuban offers learners a sense of achievement within a short period, thus arousing their interest in learning Chinese.

Group photo

The discussion was concluded in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Later on, Jiang Kun presented his own calligraphy works created on the scene to the Confucius Institute at Victoria University of Wellington.

Story by Zhao Yezhu; photos by Meng Tao