ELTE Konfuciusz Intézet - 罗兰大学孔子学院

The History of the Confucius Institutes

The history of the Confucius Institutes is a brief one. The first experimental institute was established in June 2004 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the first official Confucius Institute was inaugurated on 21st November 2004 in Seoul. The Chinese government is now setting up a global network of Confucius Institutes. In the last two years – with major Chinese financial and political support – Confucius Institutes have been created all over the world. By September 2006 – when the ECI was founded – 106 Confucius Institutes were operating in 46 countries worldwide.
By October 2010, these numbers had risen dramatically, with 523 institutions in 85 countries, including 282 Confucius Institutes and 241 Confucius Classrooms.

7th December 2006. – Ceremonial opening of ECI

„The friendship between the Hungarian and Chinese peoples stretches back many years. In the spheres of politics, economics, culture, education, science and technology, the relationship between these two nations has strengthened continuously over the last few years. Cultural and educational relations have improved especially fast, helping friendship to become deeper between our people.

The Chinese Foreign Language Council supports the establishment of the Confucius Institute in every possible way, and it is to be hoped that thanks to the co-operation of Hungarian and Chinese parties, the Confucius Institute will become a bridge linking Hungarian and Chinese culture and education and will help the friendship between our countries to flourish.”
Xu Lin, Director of Chinese Language Education Council (Hanban)

Our aim

The ELTE Confucius Institute is the official institute of China in Hungary, established in December 2006 by ELTE University and the Beijing Foreign Language University, with the support of Hanban.
The aim of the institute is to make Chinese language and culture more popular by organising language courses, cultural and scientific programs, publishing books and curricula, and helping China and Hungary come closer and closer together.

What We Offer ...

• Chinese language courses open to all, at reduced rates. Elementary, advanced, and high-level courses and special language training (in economic and business language). Off-campus courses for companies and institutes.

• Free Chinese language education for high-school students. Already realised at ELTE University; in 2009, there were already locally held courses in other high-schools and universities throughout Hungary.

• Free special Chinese language courses in middle-school.
Organising Chinese language exams (HSK, YCT).

• Chinese language exams in Hungary (ITK Origo).

• Postgraduate course for elementary and secondary school teachers designed to broaden their knowledge of East-Asia.

• Performances about Chinese culture and modern Chinese society (Modern China Lectures and Peoples of China Lectures series)

• Cultural programs (galas, exhibitions, concerts and the film club)

• Developing curricula for secondary schools and high-schools, publishing Chinese educational materials

• A constantly expanding open-access library

• Giving advice in connection with scholarships, economic and cultural cooperation

• Szervezeti és Működési Szabályzat (SZMSZ)

ELTE Confucius Institute Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is made up of the leaders of the two partner universities (ELTE and BFSU) with the president of ELTE as its head. It has three Hungarian members (the dean of the ELTE Faculty of Humanities, the head of the Confucius Institute and another elected person) and three Chinese members (the president of BFSU, the dean of BFSU and the deputy). The Board supervises the activities of the Institute (the head of the ELTE Confucius Institute represents ELTE University, the deputy manager of the ELTE Confucius Institute represents BFSU) and makes decisions about the program of the Institute.

Conference of Confucius Institutes

There is an annual conference for representatives of Confucius Institutes, organized by Hanban. The professional working and the rograms of the Confucius Institutes are discussed here. The ELTE Confucius Institute participated in both conferences in 2007 and 2008 in Beijing.

Infrastructural background of the ELTE Confucius Institute

Initial Background (December, 2006)

• For equipment, fittings and for initial expenses, the Chinese government provided 100 thousand US dollars, while the Hungarian Ministry of Education helped with 5 million forints (partly in furniture and electrical appliances).

• ELTE University provided 3 rooms for the Institute in Múzeum krt. (Building 4/F) and finances one clerical post.

• Hanban established the Confucius Institute Library with 3,000 books. The books are already registered, and the catalogue is available on our website.

• The ECI finances the language and university courses on its own, Hanban provides native speaker Chinese teachers. They all work under the guidance of the deputy manager.

• A wireless internet network, webpage and communication system was established.

Current Infrastructural background (September, 2009)

• The ECI transmits its budget to Hanban every year. The Hanban Council decides whether to support the whole or a part of this budget.

• From autumn 2009, ECI has started establishing regional centres, with the first at Kecskemét.

• ECI is starting a European Computer Centre www.confucius-institutes.eu in order to coordinate the activity of institutes in the region, and to organize international conferences and working-conferences.

• The ECI is renewing its IT infrastructure (webpage, computers) and starting Hungarian textbook series.