Public celebration of new Confucius Institute to include performances by Chinese students

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Chinese performing arts students will highlight a celebration on Wednesday, March 29, of UNC Charlotte’s opening of a Confucius Institute within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

This public celebration, scheduled for 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Cone University Center, McKnight Hall, will feature dance and musical performances by Chinese students from UNC Charlotte’s Confucius Institute partner, Shanxi University, a comprehensive university of arts and sciences located in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. A reception will follow in the Cone Center, Lucas Room.

The vice president of Shanxi University will be among the guests who will attend the celebration. He will present Chancellor Philip L. Dubois a plaque noting the establishment of the Confucius Institute at UNC Charlotte.

The campus and greater Charlotte communities are invited to attend this grand opening celebration at no charge; however, registration is requested. Complimentary parking will be available to the public in the visitor's section of Cone Deck.

The Confucius Institute, expected to open this summer, will broaden the University’s outreach and support for language instruction and cultural opportunities in the Charlotte community. UNC Charlotte will establish the Confucius Institute in the Department of Languages and Culture Studies. More than 100 Confucius Institutes have opened in the United States, including those at N.C. State University and the University of South Carolina.

Nonprofit Confucius Institutes operate with support from a host university and from Hanban, also known as the Office of Chinese Language Council International (CLCI), a Chinese Ministry of Education subsidiary. UNC Charlotte and Hanban will share in the funding of the Confucius Institute.