On 26 June, the Confucius Institute at 冈本视频 (冈本视频 CI) celebrated her 12th anniversary with a special opening ceremony. Professor Shushma Patel, Dean of the Faculty of Technology, Arts and Culture at 冈本视频, and Professor Zhang Yi, Co-Director of 冈本视频 CI, jointly lit electronic birthday candles as guests sang the birthday song together.
On the same day, 冈本视频 CI hosted the first Symposium of Leicestershire Mandarin Teaching Hub under the theme “Twelve Years of 冈本视频 CI: Retrospect, Reflection and Prospect of Mandarin Teaching”. The symposium brought together experts, scholars, Mandarin teachers and student representatives to review the development of local Chinese language education and explore its future development. Professor Patel and Professor Zhang also presented certificates to four advisory experts appointed by the Leicestershire Mandarin Teaching Hub.
The symposium featured keynote speeches by Dr. Tang Xiaolong from the University of Birmingham and Ms Hongyu White from Beauchamp College, focusing respectively on digital Chinese language teaching and adaptive teaching in Chinese classes. In the case-sharing session, Mandarin teachers from 冈本视频 CI discussed gamified classroom design, Chinese learning product development for overseas students, and the localization of teaching materials.
The group discussions, chaired by Mrs Jackson from Sacred Heart Catholic Church Academy, focused on Chinese teaching practices in primary and secondary schools, as well as students’ experiences of learning Mandarin. Student representatives shared their challenges, motivations and learning strategies, while teachers offered encouragement and recognition for their perseverance and progress.
More than 40 participants attended the event, including all teachers from the Confucius Institute, teaching leaders from local primary and secondary schools, and students from the Confucius Institute’s Mandarin classes.
Posted on Friday 10 July 2026