The Bratislava Confucius Institute co-established by Tianjin University and The Slovak Technical University held a series of events to celebrate its 10th anniversary in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia from October 17th to 18th.

The 13th Annual Council of Bratislava Confucius Institute was held on October 17th. Representatives of two universities, council members, and heads of the institute attended the meeting. At the meeting, Shu Gequn, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Tianjin University delivered a speech which confirmed the 10 years’ development and achievements of the institute and thought highly of the council. He said that “The council is of great significance to summarize the work of the Confucius Institute and lay out the future development plan”.

On October 18th, the Alliance of Chinese and Central European Universities was established. Chinese universities of Excellence 9 ( the University Alliance that includes 9 Chinese universities under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information and the Ministry of Education), middle European university representatives and enterprises joined the opening symposium and talked about science, technology, and innovation. The alliance members signed the Establishment of an Academic Memorandum. Lin Lin, ambassador of the Chinese embassy in Slovakia attended the meeting and delivered the welcoming address.

At the celebration ceremony held later, the Chinese volunteer teachers from the Confucius Institute in Bratislava presented the Chinese dance "Blue and White Porcelain " while the local Bratislava band presented a vocal performance with strong national characteristics.

Being the first Confucius institute and the sole Chinese proficiency test organization in Slovakia, the Bratislava Confucius Institute has taught more than 2,400 students to learn Chinese and organized 320 cultural activities that benefit 26000 people.

As Mr Shu put it, the Bratislava Confucius Institute serves as the friendship bridge between Slovakia and China and facilitates the two countries’ cultural and talent exchange.

By Zhang Chenxi & Chang Xinyuan

Editors: Yin Wei & Doris Harrington