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Confucius Institute (CI)
"CI and Me" panel meeting was successfully held in Cork City Hall
On October 21, 2022, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at the University of Cork, the Confucius Institute held a "CI and Me" conference in Cork City Hall to review the history and look forward to the future. More than 60 people were invited and attended the conference.
The meeting was hosted by Prof Kiri Paramore, Director of the Confucius Institute of Cork University. He hoped that the Confucius Institute would play a better role as a bridge to enhance the friendship between Ireland and China, especially the friendship and cooperation between Cork and Shanghai, and to promote mutual understanding and communication between the people of Ireland and China.
Patrick Ledwidge, a former member of Cork City Council, said that through teaching the Chinese language, the Confucius Institute at UCC has enabled Irish people to know more about Chinese culture, which has brought the two countries closer and broadened the cultural horizons of students. He hoped that in the future, the Confucius Institute could continue to play a greater role in improving understanding and promoting exchanges between the people of the two places.
Deirdre Hunt, Professor Emeritus of Cork University, as a witness of the establishment and development of the Confucius Institute, gave a detailed account of the development of the Confucius Institute at UCC, talked about its achievements in promoting the academic aspects of the Asian Studies Institute of UCC, and highly praised the role of the Confucius Institute in establishing business cooperation and humanistic exchanges between China and Ireland in many places.
Emma Connolly from the Office of International Affairs of UCC talked about her own experience of studying and travelling to China 21 years ago, how she felt at that time and how she has been connected to China ever since. Then she witnessed the important moments of Cork and Shanghai becoming sister cities and the establishment and development of the Confucius Institute at UCC. In the end, Ms Connolly acknowledged the important role of the Confucius Institute in the cooperation between Shanghai University and the University College Cork, and wished the Confucius Institute good luck for its future development.
David Lordon, the principal of Christian Brothers College, a well-known 100- year-old Catholic boys' school in Cork, first congratulated the Confucius Institute on its 15th anniversary. He reviewed the development of the Confucius Institute and CBC in the past ten years, and the teachers of the Confucius Institute not only taught students Chinese but also broadened their horizons. On the 15th anniversary of the Confucius Institute, CBC's student orchestra will be the grand finale for the 15th anniversary of the Confucius Institute in Cork. ” We hope to continue our good cooperation with Cork Confucius Institute in the future and create a diversified development environment for our students.” Said Mr Lordon.
Armida de la Garza, Regional Chair of Cork University China, said that Cork Confucius Institute is an important partner for University College to achieve internationalization. It has excelled in promoting high-quality arts, cultural and sports activities. More importantly, while increasing understanding of China, the Confucius Institute at UCC has become a bond of friendship between our two countries that will continue to grow in the future.
Lucy Quirke, a sophomore at the University of Cork, shared her experience of studying Chinese at the UCC. She talked about her interest in Chinese language and culture, but also the schedule of Chinese classes, the atmosphere of the classes, and the good interaction with teachers and classmates all attracted her deeply. She also expressed her hope to study or work in China if she has the chance in the future.
Colm Sweeney, a student representative, came all the way from London, England, and is currently working in a finance company. He is a graduate of the Confucius Classroom at UCC CI, Maynooth University, and studied at Shanghai University through UCC CI in his junior year. He said in fluent Chinese, "I miss the good time in Shanghai very much, I was impressed by the modernization of Shanghai and hope to return to China to work one day."
Some other participants also shared their stories about studying at Cork Confucius Institute, cooperation and exchange with the Confucius Institute, and the whole exchange session lasted for more than an hour in a pleasant atmosphere.