forum on Chinese International Education and Communication was held at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) on Apr. 17, coinciding with International Chinese Language Day. Nearly 40 experts from home and abroad discussed how to enhance the influence of Confucius Institute Magazine and promote Chinese culture to the world.

Confucius Institute is a bimonthly magazine published jointly by the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF) and SISU. Each issue features 11 bilingual editions in Chinese-English, Chinese-French, Chinese-Spanish, and other languages. The magazine has been published in more than 150 countries and regions for over 50 million Chinese learners worldwide since its Chinese-English edition was first issued in March 2009.

Confucius Institute presents the high-quality development of Shanghai and even China in a multi-dimensional manner, allowing people around the world to understand China better, according to Zhou Qinjian, director of the International Exchange Department of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission.

Cooperating with CIEF, SISU launched a project on Confucius Institute in 2021 to boost Chinese international education and help overseas Chinese language learners to know China better. Jiang Feng, secretary of the Party Committee of SISU, stated the school could promote the exchange and mutual appreciation of civilizations through this project.

To further enhance the cultural communication and influence of Confucius Institute, experts from overseas Confucius Institutes shared their ideas and experience.

The editorial departments of Confucius Institute in various countries are composed of both Chinese and foreign countries now. Except for the Chinese-English edition, the other ten bilingual editions are managed and maintained by Confucius Institutes with a long history in corresponding countries. The editing, publishing, and distribution have been localized.

With this model of cooperation, Jose Vicente, Andreu Beso, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Valencia in Spain, shared the concept of running Confucius Institute in Valencia—“Share one magazine on different platforms; share one article on different channels”. He advised Confucius Institute should be unified in style and standardization to create a unique brand image.

Based on local universities, Confucius Institute in various countries strove to meet the needs of local readers, telling Chinese stories in a form popular with overseas audiences. The magazine should focus on the depth of topics, hot issues, and trends while catering to readers, according to Tian Yaming, the executive director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Leipzig, Germany, and Ni Feipeng, the reviewer of the German edition of Confucius Institute.

The experts also expressed their views on how the magazine could meet the challenge of human intelligence. Zhang Chengjie, director of the Confucius Institute in Montpellier, France, told that it was necessary to find a balance between artificial intelligence translation and human translation. She added that new technologies could help maintain the background and ideological connotation of the original text, then improve the accuracy of translation.

In addition to experts from Confucius Institutes, some scholars in communication also shared their suggestions on how to spread Chinese stories.

Professor Chen Peiqin and Professor Wu Ying from the School of Journalism and Communication (SJC) of SISU said that in the era of digital platforms, interactivity, entertainment, and fragmentation are vital. Based on Chinese international education, new media platforms and channels should be developed to carry out targeted communication in a globalized, regionalized, and diversified way.

Confucius Institute has already explored the transformation of media convergence. Besides the website, the Confucius Institute APP and WeChat official account were also launched in 2017, achieving a new publishing trend of “one publication, multiple platforms display”.

Professor Zhang Xuemei, editorial director of Confucius Institute, stated at the closing ceremony that they would adhere to the principle that quality goes first and spread Chinese culture on a broader platform.