The Institution from Asia arrives in the La Araucanía Region, with the goal of teaching Chinese language and culture, while promoting the development of academic projects and strengthening the networks between the People's Republic of China and Chile.

This week, the university Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) inaugurated its Confucius Institute, in order to disseminate and promote the Chinese language and culture at the university and in Chile, as well as to create a connection between the People's Republic of China and the La Araucanía Region. It is worth mentioning that the inauguration ceremony was transmitted online, simultaneously in Chile (9 a.m.) and China (8 p.m.).

The Confucius Institute UFRO is a unit that will be part of the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement. It is the third Confucius Institute in Chile and the only one in the south of Chile, forming part of the more than 500 institutes of the network that is present in 180 countries.

According to Dr. Eduardo Hebel Weiss, the Rector of UFRO, the inauguration of the Confucius Institute at UFRO is a milestone with great relevance, both for the university and the country, since Chile’s “ties with China have been strengthened over the past years. Chile has approached the Asian country in a strategic way, to establish both economic and cultural alliances. And as a university, we are part of these alliances. We have made important connections with universities in China during the past 6 years and I am grateful for the trust placed in us by the Chinese Embassy in Chile, the Chinese International Education Foundation and our colleagues and friends at Communication University of China, because without their support, this accomplishment and inauguration would not have been possible”.

The President of Communication University of China (CUC), Dr. Liao Xiangzhong, pointed out that “our universities will be working together and we will provide our most sophisticated resources available in the teaching process of the Chinese language, including our professors, in order to meet the expectations. At the same time, the Confucius Institute will also become an important platform for academic cooperation and cultural exchange between the two countries. So let us begin with communication through language, to improve our mutual understanding. With the inauguration of this Confucius Institute, we are expanding our collaborations and building another bridge for cultural exchange between China and Chile”.

The Vice President and Secretary-General of Chinese International Education Foundation, Zhao Lingshan, explained that “Chile was the first country in Latin America that established diplomatic relations with China and on December 15, we will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Chile. The inauguration of the Confucius Institute at Universidad de La Frontera at this special moment does not only provide fresh impulses for educational exchange and our mutual collaboration, but also is another important symbol of the partnership between both countries and its development over the last 50 years of diplomatic relations. The Confucius Institute is a place where our Chilean friends can learn about Chinese culture and which offers a variety of language courses, what allows us to communicate and to build a deeper connection between China and Chile”.

CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE UFRO

The Confucius Institute at Universidad de La Frontera is the result of an alliance established in 2019 by UFRO and the Chinese International Education Foundation, which is connected with the institutes that are present in 180 countries around the world and which is supported by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and the Communication University of China.

The Confucius Institute UFRO will be led by Dr. Paola Olave Müller, the director of the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement. According to her, “the establishment of this institute in our region can be seen as a bride between both countries and a great cultural and developmental contribution for the people in the south of Chile. We will work with the original principles of Confucius and establish a multicultural space for the Chinese community in the south of Chile”.

One of the Institute’s first activities is an online concert with traditional music from China, performed by the Chinese Orchestra of China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, which will be organized by the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Chile together with China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, within the celebrations of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Chile.

Click here to watch the Inauguration Ceremony