Confucius Institutes to Deepen Reform

China will deepen the reform of Confucius Institutes by raising the quality of education， improving systems， and offering more innovative programs， according to an article by China Education Daily.

The distribution of Confucius Institutes will be optimized and they will offer more flexible and diversified classes， said the article under the byline of Ma Jianfei， deputy chief executive of the Confucius Institute Headquarters.

“With that they will vigorously support Chinese language teaching in overseas elementary and middle schools， and provide more quality teaching services，” Ma said.

Local faculty will be improved with strengthened support from China. More Chinese deans and teachers will be employed， said Ma.

Confucius Institutes are encouraged to launch various cultural activities， expand the Confucius China Studies Program， and run contests such as Chinese Bridge.

Ma also noted that the institutes should intensify communication and exchanges between China and the rest of the world， and learn from the achievements of foreign countries.

Confucius Institutes have been playing the role of overseas Chinese cultural ambassadors since 2004. A total of 516 Confucius Institutes and 1，076 related courses have been established in 142 countries and regions， receiving more than nine million students， said Ma.

In 2017 alone， over 12.7 million people participated in cultural events organized by Confucius Institutes across the world.

China to Open Cultural Center in Jordan

China will launch a cultural center in Jordan to promote Chinese culture and to enhance ties between the two countries， according to Chinese Ambassador to Jordan Pan Weifang.

The ambassador made the remarks at a press conference in January with Jordanian Culture Minister Nabih Shuqum. The two sides signed a deal for the launch of the center in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

The center， which serves to promote Chinese culture and boost cultural exchange between the two sides， will provide training opportunities on Chinese calligraphy， handicrafts， art， language， literature， books and movies， among other activities， the Chinese ambassador said.

“A lot of performances， exhibitions， and cultural activities will be held by the center to familiarize Jordanians with Chinese culture and boost ties in this regard，” said the ambassador， adding that the center would function as a cultural bridge between the two nations.

The Jordanian minister voiced appreciation to China for its support to Jordan， adding that the kingdom was determined to boost cultural exchanges with China.

Chinese Artists Perform in Venice to Launch China-EU Tourism Year

Chinese artists performed at the famous La Fenice Opera House in Italys lagoon city of Venice on January 18， on the eve of the official launch of the 2018 China-EU Tourism Year.

Organized by the China National Tourism Administration （CNTA） in collaboration with Italian authorities， the gala event brought first to the stage the renowned Peking Opera artist Yuan Huiqin. She engaged a large audience of Chinese， Italian， and European guests with a refined exhibition， adapted for the first time from the musical Travelling around the World.

Yuan was followed by a captivating play by Shaolin performers with the drama Soul of Shaolin， telling a touching story about loss and reunion between a child and his mother. The play has been performed more than 500 times worldwide， since it was first created in 2003， according to the presentation. Revised for the ninth time in 2016， it was put on stage by a group of selected trainees from the Shaolin Temple Wushu Training Center based in Dengfeng in Chinas Henan Province.

The 2018 China-EU Tourism Year would mark a key opportunity for both sides to boost the exchange of visitors， to refine attraction strategies， and promote more business contacts， which would provide a good chance to boost the economy， along with cultural ties.