The Confucius Institute at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University held a four-year founding anniversary on September 4, 2017 in Macedonia. On the day of the event, Professor Nikola Jankulovsk, president of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University; Ms. Biljana Angleova, the vice president; Professor Stolkovsky, the former president; Mr. Romowska, the librarian of Macedonian National Library; Mao Qingwen, director of the Chinese Embassy in Macedonia; Secretary Zhu Zhibin, representatives of the China-Macedonia Friendship Association; and other well-known corporate managers and people from all walks of life in Macedonia as well as some students of the Confucius Institute which altogether more than 100 poeple gathered at the Macedonian National Library lecture hall to celebrate the four-year birthday of the Confucius Institute.
At 12 noon, the celebration officially began. Professor Deng Shizhong, the Chinese dean of the Confucius Institute who successfully completed his term, delivered a speech first. Dean Deng expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people from all walks of life who have supported the development of the Confucius Institute. In his speech, the Confucius Institute at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University is the only Confucius Institute in Macedonia. From the beginning of the past four years, it has grown to five teaching points, 26 Chinese classes, and nearly 1,000 Macedonia students have come to learn Chinese. The achievements of the Confucius Institute are the result of the joint efforts of both Chinese and Macedonian governments, including the education sector, the cultural sector, civil society and staff of Confucius Institute. Dean Deng said that although his work at the Confucius Institute in Macedonia is coming to an end, the new dean will lead the faculty and staff of the Confucius Institute to go forward and continue to pursue excellence. Dean Deng ended his speech with Wang Bo’s verse, Bosom friends within the four seas are close neighbours though separated by oceans. He said that although China and Macedonia are separated by thousands of miles, as our hearts are closely linked together, we are just like neighbors.
Later, Dean Deng Shizhong introduced the new Chinese dean, Liao Wei. Immediately after Liao Wei made a brief speech, he thanked Dean Deng Shizhong as the pioneer of the Confucius Institute in Macedonia for his hard work and fruitful results in the past four years. He is also grateful to Macedonia for their long-term support and care for the Confucius Institute, and hopes that they will continue to support the development of the Confucius Institute in the future. In his speech, he said that he believes that the Confucius Institute will achieve even better achievements under the joint efforts of China and Macedonia.
Professor Nikola Jankulovsk, president of Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, delivered a speech congratulating the four-year anniversary. He said that he was very happy to see that the Confucius Institute has expanded its enrollment and held a number of cultural activities in the four years since its establishment. He appreciated that the Confucius Institute provided excellent opportunities for Macedonians, especially young students, to learn Chinese language and culture. He gave his best wish to the future development of Confucius Institute.
Finally, Mao Qingwen, who is the Chinese Ambassador to Macedonia, made a speech on behalf of the embassy. He first spoke highly of the achievements of the Confucius Institute in the past four years. He especially praised the Macedonian Chinese Bridge Competition hosted by Ss. Cyril and Methodius University and the Confucius Institute. He said that in the past few years, Chinese Bridge has provided Macedonian students and Chinese enthusiasts with a platform to show Chinese learning outcomes. Through the competition, a large number of Macedonian students who love Chinese culture have won scholarships from the Chinese government and universities and fulfilled their dream of studying in China. The Confucius Institute in Macedonia not only spread the language and culture of China, but also promoted exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy and culture. Mao said that the Chinese Embassy in Macedonia will continue to support the development of the Confucius Institute.
The second part of the celebration took place in a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. Volunteer teachers of Confucius Institute sang a song Chinese Flower Blooming in Macedonia. The four volunteers won applause by their sunny and vigorous singing. Anita, the student of Confucius Institute, gave a Chinese speech in traditional Chinese costume. She proudly said that her Chinese name is ‘Little Dragon Girl’. The speech expressed her love for Chinese culture and her determination to continue learning Chinese. Then, Chinese teacher Zhang Tinghong performed a flute solo, and the melodious flute conveyed a strong Chinese flavor. Later, Liao Wei presented the Chinese song The grapes to ripen in Turpan for everyone. His soulful singing won the praise and warm applause from the audience. In the end, Dean Deng Shizhong and Macedonian famous singer Ms. Su Lan performed the popular Chinese songs Jasmine and The Moon Represents My Heart. Their skillful singing and tacit cooperation pushed the atmosphere to the climax.
More than 100 guests from all walks of life in China and Macedonia attended the meeting. The atmosphere was very warm. Everyone said that they would strongly support the construction and development of the Confucius Institute. A number of media outlets in Macedonia reported on the event and interviewed the new dean.
(By Jiahui)