Confucius Institute Continues to Celebrate Cultural Exchange, Despite Criticisms

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten students from around the United States will be honored this year by the Confucius Institute U.S. Center, a Chinese language and cultural studies center in the nation's capital. After submitting an essay to the annual People-to-People Award Essay Competition, these students were selected as this year's honorees to be recognized at the 5^th Annual CIUS Center National Honors Gala, hosted virtually on October 30, 2020. Their essays highlighted their passion for learning and cross-cultural exchange between China and the United States, focusing on improving language skills and building life-long relationships with friends in China.

The award-winning essays can be found here.

Confucius Institutes across the country have been subject to threats and foreign mission designation by the State Department over the course of the last six months, but with over seventy essay submissions from Chinese language learners nationwide, appreciation for the language and culture are strong. The honorees range in age from teens to one in her seventies and are strong members of their communities. They seek out cultural exchange from music, friends, and Confucius Institutes across the globe.

The CIUS Center People-to-People Award Honorees represent the diversity among the Chinese language and culture programs hosted across the United States. The program highlights these student stories to share the value and impact of global education, cross-cultural exchange, and mutual understanding between the US and China.

Along with accepting their awards, the CIUS Center is excited to honor several talented musicians this year. Honorees will also share how unconventional learning opportunities, travel, friendship, and opportunities to explore their identity have impacted their Chinese language and culture studies. In attendance will be family and friends, past honorees, and educators and influencers in the Chinese language learning community.

To learn more about the Confucius Institute and how the programs operate, visit www.ciuscenter.org. 

MEDIA NOTE: To set up an interview or for more information, contact the CIUS Center at press@ciuscenter.org 

The Confucius Institute U.S. Center is a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the value of mutual understanding between the US and China through language education and cultural exchanges. Confucius Institute programs are operated independently by host colleges and universities to prepare the next generation of leaders through language, arts, culture, and educational travel experiences. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @CIUSCenter.  

SOURCE Confucius Institute U.S. Center