Finally, Confucius Institute has been successfully inaugurated at the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) in partnership with Huaqiao University on December 19, 2019 at the ADDU, Davao City.
Attending the inauguration were the Vice President (VP) of Huaqiao University- Mr. Zeng Lu, Mr. Zhang Xincheng, Director of International Exchange and Cooperation, Mr. Hu Peian, Director of Chinese Language and Culture Education and Mr. Xiang Shimin, Director of the Office of the Board of Trustees, Ms. Sholai Lim and the Davao de Oro officials and employees.
Davao de Oro as the beneficiary of four (4) programs under this institute and the first LGU beneficiary in the country represented by the 1st Lady of the Davao de Oro Province Ma’am Sholai Lim in behalf of Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy.
Confucius Institute is a public educational organization under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, whose stated aim is to promote Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally, and facilitate cultural exchanges.
Christine Torino Dompor- Provincial Tourism Officer warmly welcomed the visit of Huaqiao University executives to Davao de Oro headed by its university VP Mr. Zeng Lu joined by his director of international cooperation and exchange, director for language and culture and director for the board of trustees along with the members of Huaqiao Alumni Association who are based in the Philippines.
Huaqiao University is a national university and was founded in 1960 for students of overseas Chinese backgrounds (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore and the Phils.) to pursue tertiary education in their ancestral homelands. The university has two campuses in the cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou, known for their large numbers of overseas Chinese who have roots in these cities.
According to Dompor that Huaqiao University officially opened its doors to the province early this year. Under the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative of China which the Philippines is part of, “we were given the opportunity to avail of the learning programmes and sent five students during the summer camp immersion last June 2019 for 7 days and five senior high school students last September 2019 for a 4- year intensive Mandarin Language course.
Dompor added that there are 25 government officials and employees of the province studying Chinese language and culture for six months that will be completed by May or June 2020, the first LGU in the country and the pioneering class of the newly inaugurated Confucius Institute of the Ateneo de Davao University.
“International cooperation, partnership and mutual understanding with international communities such as China will surely create more and more golden opportunities for Davao de Oro,” Dompor added.
On the other hand, Sholai Lim expressed her gratitude as she personally witnessed the inauguration of the Confucius Institute in Ateneo de Davao University, the first and only in the islands of Visayas and Mindanao, and probably the last to be installed in the Philippines.
Lim added “the opening of the Confucius Institute is a big step forward for us to learn new language, to understand deeper the Chinese culture and facilitate future exchanges between our people to foster international cooperation as we dream for a more cohesive and peaceful society.
Lim also congratulate the visionary University President of Ateneo de Davao Rev. Fr. Joel Tabora, SJ, Consul General Li Lin together with Asst. Consul Tung, and to the hardworking professors of AdDU Jenner Chan, Dr. Ging Panda and Prof. Hadji Balajadia to the faculty, administrators and officials of Huaqiao University, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte.
( Rey Antibo, ID Davao de Oro)
Confucius Institute has been successfully inaugurated at the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) in partnership with Huaqiao University on December 19, 2019 at the AdDU, Davao City with the Davao De Oro officials and employees as the first LGU in the Country as beneficiary of the four (4) programs of the institute in learning the basic Chinese language and their culture. (C. Dompor FB Post)
