The Building of the Model Confucius Institute at Western Kentucky University in the US Officially Put into Use

On May 5th, the building of the Model Confucius Institute at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in the US was officially put into use. It is the first private building in the North America for Confucius Institutes.

Gary A. Ransdell, WKU President and Xu Lin, former Director General of Hanban

WKU President Gary A. Ransdell and Xu Lin, Consultant of the State Council, member of CPPCC National Committee and former Director General of Hanban, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the official opening of the building and delivered speeches. WKU President Gary A. Ransdell expressed his congratulations on the completion of the building as well as appreciation for Hanban’s consistent and great support to the Confucius Institute at WKU. He said though he was going to retire in June, he and the new WKU leadership would support the Confucius Institute as always.

In her speech, Xu Lin expressed her gratitude to President Gary A. Ransdell for his consistent support during his term. She said that the initiating of the Model Confucius Institute Project signified that the development of the Confucius Institute has entered into a new phase. It demonstrated that with the joint efforts and support of China and other countries, the Confucius Institute enjoys a more stable, healthier and more sustainable development. The profound significance of the Confucius Institute, according to her, is to enhance the knowledge of and understanding on China by people from all over the world, to let them find the common pursuit and similarities between each other, and to construct a platform for mutual learning and win-win cooperation. The Model Confucius Institute will continue to play a positive role in this regard.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the building of the Model Confucius Institute at WKU

According to Wei-ping Pan, US Director of the Confucius Institute at WKU, the building, with a built-up area of 700 square meters, was the only new private building for the Confucius Institute under the cooperation between Hanban and the US universities in recent years.

Xie Kechang, Academician and former Vice President of Chinese Academy of Engineering and board member of the Confucius Institute at WKU, Mike Buchanon, Judge-Executive of Warren County where WKU is located, Yang Yongping, President of North China Electric Power University－Chinese cooperative university of the Confucius Institute, and directors of several Confucius Institutes in the US attended the ceremony as well.

Photo source: Zhao Huanxin, China Daily