On April 27, 2018, the Confucius Institute at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University held the unveiling ceremony of the HSK test site. Professor Nikola Jankulovsk, president of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University; Prof. Ou Bing, deputy secretary of the party committee of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics; Professor Vlatko Stoilkov, the Macedonian dean of Confucius Institute; Professor Liao Wei, the Chinese dean and more than 50 people including the teachers and students of the Confucius Institute attended the event.
At 11:00 am, the opening ceremony officially began. Professor Nikola Jankulovsk delivered a speech on behalf of the Macedonian party of the Confucius Institute. He said that the development of the Confucius Institute has contributed a lot to the cultural exchange between China and Macedonia. The establishment of HSK test site is the result of further deepening cooperation between China and Macedonia. It will also encourage more Macedonian students to actively learn Chinese and become the messenger of cultural exchanges between China and Macedonia.
Then, Ou Bing gave a speech to express his sincere gratitude to Hanban, the Chinese Embassy in Macedonia, and staff of Confucius Institute who applied for and help built HSK test sites. He also affirmed the achievements of the Confucius Institute in the past few years. Ou Bing said that he hopes to strengthen the cooperation between Southwestern University of Finance and Economics and Ss. Cyril and Methodius University by the establishment of HSK test site, and encourage more Macedonian students to study at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.
Liao Wei briefly introduced HSK test in his speech. As the authoritative standard for Chinese proficiency test, HSK test is known as the TOEFL and IELTS in China. It is not only an important condition for studying in China, but also an accordance for recruitment and promotion of employees in government department and cross-country companies. The establishment of HSK test sites not only facilitates Chinese learners in Macedonia, but also further enhances students’ enthusiasm for learning Chinese. In his speech, Liao Wei also expressed his gratitude for the support and help from all parties.
After all the speeches, the teachers, students and guests of the Confucius Institute went to the lounge to attend a small cocktail party. Everyone had pleasant conversations on the development of Confucius Institute and the promotion of Chinese culture.
The establishment of HSK test site has ended the state of Macedonia where there is only Chinese language teaching but no Chinese test site, which will greatly facilitate Macedonian Chinese learners.
(By Jiahui)