Chapter IV Confucius Institutes in the United States
4.1 Confucius Institutes’ project in the United States
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answer what the language courses and cultural activities provided by these CIs are and how successful they are in shaping China’s image. To answer the questions, the writer has chosen twelve CIs and further categorizes them into four types (local, research, culture and teachers training) of their major missions for research. This chapter introduces the CIs’ project in the U.S. and then examines CIs’ programs and their features. Finally, the writer identifies findings.
4.1 Confucius Institutes’ project in the United States
Daniel Bell, a professor at Harvard University, proposed that the university values could be understood as a tension between “classical” and “pragmatic” models. The former was rooted in the university entrusted by society to pursue the truth. The latter sees the university’s role as being primarily to serve society through training people. While the university should be engaged in the practical affairs of society, it should also maintain a public mission of cultivating citizenship. Hanban describes its mission as appealing to both models of the university; being committed to providing both language and cultural teaching, it meets the demands of foreign learners and contributes to the building of a harmonious world.5
Soft power can be conveyed through a nation’s higher education system. The use of U.S. higher education as a vehicle for soft power projection has been part of U.S. foreign policy. Many observers agree that higher education in the U.S. projects significant soft power. A 2007 poll of 2,536 global leaders reported that 88.5% earned at least one degree in Western universities, and nearly half of these institutions were located in the U.S.
While soft power projection continues to be important for the U.S., other nations are also making significant investments. China’s rise as a global economic power could extend its
5 Christopher R. Hughes, “Confucius Institutes and the University: Distinguishing the Political Mission from the Cultural,” Issues and Studies, Vol. 50, Issue 4 (2015), p. 53.
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influence through the strategic use of soft power resources. Since the 1990s, China’s foreign policy can be found toward areas it sees as strategically important, promoting a higher level of internationalization and competing for influence with the U.S.6
The lack of funding for foreign language programs is the major reason for the American universities establishing CIs. One interviewee observed that Chinese language and culture courses are not seen as core functions in many universities. With the sustainable finance from Hanban, the universities could obtain funding to support Chinese programs for students and community outreach. Faculties that want to have regular Chinese classes are seeking resources. Faculty cooperation in the creation and management of a CI can be advantageous for both university and individual faculty members. Universities that see the CIs as an opportunity for obtaining funding and fostering understandings between two countries, think the Chinese program is well-worth investment.7
The process of setting up a CI in a university varies, but in general there is a typical following pattern. The American university is approached by its Chinese counterpart with a proposal to develop a CI. The U.S. top administrators will assign faculty or administrators (likely the future CI director) to help communications and contact with the Chinese university for working on an application. The responsible personnel will outreach and garner support from stakeholders (such as the mayor’s office, Education Instruction Department from the state, business companies, local schools, etc). After preparing the potential site for hosting a CI (including software and hardware), the local PRC consulate pays a visit to evaluate the CI’s facilities, the staffing, and funding. If things go well, the university packages all necessary materials and sends the application to Hanban. Then the
6 Joseph Stetar, Colleen Coppla, Li Guo, Naila Nabiyeva, and Baktybek Ismailov, “Soft Power Strategies:
Competition and Cooperation in a Globalized System of Higher Education,” in the Higher Education, Policy, And The Global Competition Phenomenon (Los Angeles: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010).
7 Interviewee 6.
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university president might lead a delegation to China to visit their partner university and Hanban. If things run smoothly, they could sign a contract.8
Hanban is seeking the most prestigious universities in the U.S. to enhance China’s soft power. The prominent universities get what they want; the less-esteemed ones get less.9 According to one interviewee, the main reasons for one university’s setting up CI were that there was a big push in campus for establishing CIs in conjunction with a university in China. The Chinese university was willing but not extremely happy about it.
Moreover, a more important judge (Hanban) did not want to move forward because it wanted to have a chance with a more prominent university. Even though the university proposed a lower funding, the project was stalled and then school finally lost interests.10
The Chinese government uses CIs to alter negative images of the American public towards China. In 2004, the U.S. established the first CI at the University of Maryland.
Until 2015, the U.S. had the largest number of CIs (100) and CCs (356) in the world—
with more than 220,000 students, a reflection of the booming demand for learning Chinese.11 This rapid CI development shows the growing interest of young Americans in having an understanding of China.12 In 2013, Diefeng Cao, the Director of CI Affairs Division II (American and Oceania), introduced a Development Plan of Confucius Institute by 2015. Key projects focus on the followings: 1) Setting up bases to cultivate teachers and a talent pool of volunteers. Universities will recruit more students majoring in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. 2) Implementing the international Chinese
8 Interviewee 5.
9 Interviewee 7.
10 Interviewee 8.
11 David Feith, “China’s Beachhead in American Schools,” The Wall Street Journal, May 26, 2014,
<http://online.wsj.com/articles/david-feith-chinas-beachhead-in-u-s-schools-1401124980>(accessed February 1, 2015).
12 Wen Xian, “Learning While Teaching - the Confucius Institute Win-Win,” People’s Daily Online, May 20, 2014, <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/n/2014/0520/c98649-8729640.html>(accessed February 1, 2015).
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language teaching material project. Hanban approaches universities to develop regionally based Chinese teaching materials in multiple languages. 3) Conducting Confucius China Study Plan. Hanban sponsors outstanding young scholars to visit China, to conduct research, or to pursue academic degrees. 4) Building model CIs. Hanban setups model CIs to play a model role in terms of expanding the number of students and improving the academic quality. 5) Providing more funding support. Hanban identifies multiple sources of fund raising, sets up a mechanism for funding CIs, and diversifies the sources of fundraising.13
The CI in the U.S. typically provides services of Chinese language teaching, understanding of Chinese culture, promoting business linkages, and providing scholarship relating to China study. The Institute is guided by an advisory board consisting of faculty and administrators from the U.S. university and its counterpart in China. The co-director and an administrator are provided by the Chinese university and serve as program coordinators as well as instructors. CI’s operation relies on both China’s funds and facilities provided by the host university. The university receives approximately $150,000 (varies on case-by-case basis) for the initial five-year funding period. After that, Hanban will negotiate annual funding commitments on a year-to-year basis.14 The CI annually writes proposals for projects, and a board of faculty and administrators vets the proposals.
One CI director said that the Institute sends an annual budget request to Hanban outlining the proposed projects; not once have Hanban officials raised any questions regarding the content of the programming proposed.15
13 Diefeng Cao, “Introduction to the Development Plan of Confucius Institute,” September 9, 2013,
<http://www.bing.com/search?q=Introduction+to+the+%E2%80%9C+Development+Plan+of+Confucius +Institute%E2%80%9D&src=IE-TopResult&FORM=IE11TR&conversationid=>(accessed February 2, 2015).
14 “Proposal to establish a UWM Confucius Institute,”
<https://www.google.com.tw/#q=UWM+Confucius+Institute>(accessed February 2, 2015).
15 Elizabeth Redden, “Confucius Says ...,” Inside Higher Ed, July 24, 2014,
<https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/01/04/debate-over-chinese-funded-institutes-american-uni
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