Chinese Language and Culture
Cooperation with the Confucius Institute in Bonn
The University of Bonn has agreed to engage in joint activities with the Confucius Institute in Bonn to support and maintain the partnership between Germany and China in the areas of Chinese language and culture, education, academia, science and research.
This collaboration is underpinned by a cooperation agreement concluded between the University of Bonn and the Chinese International Education Foundation, Beijing Language and Culture University and the association Konfuzius-Institut Bonn e.V.
The Confucius Institute offers Chinese language courses at varying levels of difficulty to University members and the general public. It also hosts talks and lectures on Chinese history, culture and art, including traditional Chinese medicine and other topics. It has its own library offering a wide range of media, teaching materials and information on Chinese language and culture. Anyone who is interested can make use of these services.
The Confucius Institute in Bonn also promotes German-Chinese dialogue in the form of exchanges between researchers, teachers, students and schoolchildren, assists Chinese visitors to Germany and prepares German nationals for an upcoming trip to China.
Nonprofit and autonomous
In accordance with its articles of association, Konfuzius-Institut Bonn e.V.—as a nonprofit organization—has autonomous responsibility for fulfilling its mission and does not follow instructions given by external parties. It designs its range of courses and teaching materials as it sees fit. The highest-level decision-making body at the Confucius Institute in Bonn is the “full management board,” which has to have at least six members and holds comprehensive administrative responsibility for all the institute’s activities. Its members are elected by the general assembly. The board prepares development plans and takes care of budget planning and the selection and nomination of the general management and their deputies. BLCU covers the cost of the institute, its teaching materials and its staff. The University of Bonn does not provide any funding and will not do so in the future either. The institute pays rent for its premises that is standard for the local area.
As a private institution affiliated with the University of Bonn (an An-Institut), the Confucius Institute in Bonn undertakes to uphold all academic, ethical and legal standards and to comply with the University’s provisions for ensuring good research practice. In consultation with the academic advisory board, a quality management system will be introduced to this end that meets internationally recognized standards and that will be evaluated at regular intervals.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Confucius Institute in Bonn was founded in 2017. In legal terms, it is the responsibility of a nonprofit association that was set up some time before that, in December 2016, by eight individuals from Bonn. The Confucius Institute in Bonn was subsequently opened in April 2017 at a large ceremony held in the University’s Grand Hall. Its partners are the University of Bonn, the Chinese International Education Foundation and Beijing Language and Culture University.
The Confucius Institute in Bonn is run jointly by two directors, one from Germany and the other from China. Its current Managing Director is Dr. Hannes Jedeck. The highest-level decision-making body at the Confucius Institute in Bonn is the “full management board,” which has to have at least six members and holds comprehensive administrative responsibility for all the institute’s activities. Its members are elected by the general assembly. It prepares development plans and takes care of budget planning and the selection and nomination of the general management and their deputies.
One unique feature of the Bonn-based institute is its academic advisory board. In accordance with the articles of association, the full management board nominates at least three members for a three-year term on the academic advisory board, which is made up of experts and representatives of various areas and groups. The academic advisory board advises Konfuzius-Institut Bonn e.V., appraises its activities and proposes new ones, thus helping to provide quality assurance of its work.
Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) covers the cost of the institute, its teaching materials and its staff. The University of Bonn does not provide any funding. The institute pays rent for its premises that is standard for the local area.
German staff are appointed by the Confucius Institute directly based on decisions made by its general management. The same applies to Chinese teachers that are assigned by the partner university BLCU. The Chinese director is appointed by the full management board.
The Confucius Institute Bonn e.V. acts independently. In accordance with its articles of association, the institute —as a nonprofit organization—has autonomous responsibility for fulfilling its mission and does not follow instructions given by external parties. It designs its range of courses and teaching materials as it sees fit.
Decisions on teaching and learning materials are made by the Confucius Institute in Bonn itself. They do not have to be signed off by the Chinese partner.
The partnership is building on a longstanding tradition of science and academia in Bonn.
The Confucius Institute runs Chinese language courses and serves as an examination center for HSK public language examinations (“Chinese Proficiency Test”).
More broadly, the Confucius Institute see itself as point of contact for anyone with an interest in China. With its expertise on China, it creates possibilities and spaces for interacting with China in a wide variety of ways and learning more about the country and its people. It provides a platform for preparing for spending time studying or researching in China and helps visiting Chinese researchers to collaborate with their German colleagues.
Contact
Andreas Archut