Promoting the educational exchange and cooperation between Belgium and China is Wang Luxin’s mission. This kind a mission includes activities that span from student exchanges through to the implementation of the agreements between the Flemish, French and German communities and the People’s Republic to cooperation between Belgian and Chinese universities. The fact that the three Confucius Institutes of this country play a vital role in this is obvious according to Wang Luxin. “It is precisely their task to promote the Chinese language and culture but it is also intended to include showing Chinese people the way to the Western culture. As such, the Confucius Institutes form the hub where cultures meet and inspire each other.”
“The Confucius Institute at GROUP T is the most recent one in Belgium and, as it stands, the first one in Flanders” Wang Luxin continues. “It is the pinnacle of GROUP T’s many years of cooperation with China, a cooperation that has since grown into a close friendship. That this young institute succeeded in a relatively short time to host the largest regional Confucius Institutes conference in the world is an extraordinary achievement. The Confucius Institute at GROUP T has in this way instantly made itself indispensable in the European-Chinese landscape.”
International Cooperation
Wang Luxin works in the Chinese embassy in Brussels. His employer is the Ministry of Education in China, more precisely the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange. But also other units of the Ministry can make use of his services. Like, for instance, the Chinese Scholarship Council, the Chinese International Exchange Association, the Chinese Service Center for Oversea Students, and so on.
In the course of his now almost 20-year career with the ministry of Education, Wang Luxin has gained much experience in the field of international cooperation. He was, for instance, active in the Republic of Korea where he was responsible for the international exchange between Asia and Africa. Also, he was program officer for the International Students Affairs in China and, as director at the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing, he was responsible for the new initiatives.
Wang Luxin has now been active in Belgium for a year. In that short period he has been able to form a good picture of the country. “Complicated, but efficient,” he describes it. “The different communities, regions, languages and cultures constitute the unique nature and wealth of Belgium. Despite all the community problems and tensions there is still an organic and harmonious system that works. This past year, I visited quite a few universities in Flanders and Wallonia as well as in Brussels and was always struck by the high level. This is not only the case for higher education as a matter of fact, but also primary and secondary education are amongst the best in the world. China has everything to gain by collaborating with Belgian education institutes.”
Fruitful Contacts
“China and Belgium may differ fundamentally from each other, what they have in common is a rich history and culture,” Wang Luxin believes. “In the past there have already been fruitful contacts. Take, for instance, father Verbiest who was once teacher to the emperor of China. To this day, his name is still spoken with much respect in China. More recently, in the twenties of the previous century, many Chinese people came to study in Belgium. A large number of them became leading scientists, engineers and artists. Nie Yongzheng, for instance, studied in Belgium and became one of the top ten generals after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.”
At the moment, Belgium hosts 2,000 Chinese students. Ten percent of them study at GROUP T in Leuven. For that reason alone, GROUP T, according to Wang Luxin, has become a key element in the Belgian-Chinese cooperation and exchange in the field of education. “Not only for the Chinese students but also for the Flemish students there is great added value in meeting each other and learning from each other. It is the reflection of what is to come: a globalizing world. Economically and technologically, this is already a reality, the minds will follow. Clearly, GROUP T has already captured this spirit.”
Pioneering Work
Back to the 2009 Joint European Confucius Institutes Conference in Leuven. “The first of its kind in Europe and immediately on the mark,” says Wang Luxin. “Indeed, pioneering steps were taken in Leuven for the further development and growth of the Confucius Institutes in Europe. Experiences, ideas and points of view were exchanged, there was active participation in connecting and developing, the discussions in the workshops were intense and lively, all opinions were discussed. It was also particularly instructive for the top of Hanban and the Confucius Institutes’ Headquarters. They now know exactly what is on the minds of the people in the Confucius Institutes in Europe, what are the ambitions and expectations that they can build on from China to support the institutes further in their development and growth so that they are even better positioned to realize their mission, which is to bring China closer to Europe and vice versa.”
According to Wang Luxin, the conference in Leuven could have lasted a little longer. “In the end, only one day was reserved for the different workshops. This is precisely where the debate was held, where there was connecting and developing and where the future of the Confucius Institutes was discussed. Time was maybe a bit limited to get to the essence of all themes.”
Larger exhibit
Wang Luxin was very excited about the cultural activities during the conference. “The tea ceremonies, the magician Jan Bardi’s show, the visit to the new M museum in Leuven, the musical performances and the city trips were all very successful. So was the book exhibit. Next time, we should probably implement that on a larger scale. This time, there was ultimately only English, French, German and Italian didactic material available at the booth. Considering the diversity of Europe, all languages should be represented. And, for that matter, not only in books or brochures but also in CDs and multimedia. If the aim is to bring China to the Europeans, it is best to address them in their own language using contemporary media.”
The global organization of the conference went smoothly according to Wang Luxin. “That can be attributed to the good preparation and productive consultation between Hanban, the Confucius Institute Headquarters, the Embassy and the Confucius Institute at GROUP T. Everything was thoroughly discussed and agreed upon with everyone involved so that everything was anticipated. In other words, there was no need for on-site improvising, everything was dealt with professionally.”
To be repeated
In 2009 alone, the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing organized seven such regional conferences all over the world. As mentioned earlier, the first European conference was immediately the largest ever. According to Wang Luxin, this cannot be explained only by the fact that there are more Confucius Institutes in Europe than on other continents, it also proved that this conference met a clear need. The wish to connect and to develop, to meet each other, to learn from each other. “The representatives of all Confucius Institutes with whom I spoke during the conference in Leuven expressed the desire to repeat this initiative in the future, even annually, if possible. Belgium as the center of Europe with the capital and the presidency of the European Union is the ideal location for this.
Of course, the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Beijing will take the decision on this issue because they are the actual organizers of such regional conferences. The experience gained at GROUP T is certainly a strong argument for a continuation of this initiative. The Confucius Institute at GROUP T may rightfully call itself the flagship of the European Institutes from now on.”
Yves Persoons
More information on the 2009 European Confucius Institutes Conference:
www.confuciusconference.eu
