❝ From June 25th to 26th, 2026, the Confucius Institute of Artois successfully hosted an international symposium and the 19th training for Chinese teachers in Europe. The symposium was jointly organized by the European Association of Chinese Teaching, the Center for Text and Culture Studies at the University of Artois, the Institute for International Students at Nanjing University, and the Confucius Institute of Artois. The theme of the symposium was “The ‘Wen’ of Chinese: European Benchmarks for Chinese Language.” Twenty-four experts and scholars from universities and research institutions in 11 countries, including China, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Malta, Romania, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the United States, and Germany, presented research reports on the symposium’s theme. Participants hailed from 36 countries, including France, China, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Romania, Malaysia, Singapore, and Bulgaria etc. representing 118 institutions worldwide—including universities, secondary schools, Confucius Institutes, Chinese language teaching and research institutions, and test centers—a total of 235 participants registered to attend the symposium and teacher training program.
This symposium was co-chaired by Professor Joël Bellassen of the Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures in France, Professor Zhang Xinsheng, President of the European Association for Chinese Teaching, Professor Jin Siyan and Associate Professor Xiaoshan Dantille of the University of Artois.
The opening speaker on June 25 was Professor Anne Daguet-Gagey, President of the University of Artois. She expressed her gratitude to the conference organizers, extending special thanks to Nanjing University for its long-standing collaboration with the University of Artois. She welcomed the 24 experts and more than 200 teachers participating in the conference. She emphasized that, in an era of increasingly intense economic and technological competition between Asia and Europe, discussions on language, shared heritage, and various forms of culture hold profound significance. Exchanges of language and culture embody the aesthetic dimensions of all parties involved and have the power to break down barriers and build bridges. ❞
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