On December 7th, Wuhan University was presented with two awards at the eighth Confucius Institute Conference. The prize for ‘Excellent Chinese Partner University’ was awarded to WHU along with the prize for ‘Excellent Confucius Institute’ being received by WHU and the University of Pittsburgh for their jointly established institute.

Liu Yandong, China’s Vice Premier and Confucius Institute chairman, conferred the awards on the WHU council chairman Han Jin and the University of Pittsburgh Confucius Institute director Michele Heryford.

The conference presented many awards including 10 ‘Excellent Chinese Partner University’, 28 ‘Excellent Confucius Institute’, 5 ‘Excellent Confucius Institute Classroom’ and 30 ‘Excellent Individuals’. Those who attended the conference included Confucius Institute council members, representatives from embassies and consulates, and directors of Confucius Institutes from over 120 countries.

Wuhan University has participated in establishing Confucius Institutes since 2004. It has co-founded 4 Confucius Institutes with Universities in France, Germany, the US, and the UK. In 2013, all four of the WHU CI’s received local press coverage. The University of Pittsburgh Confucius Institute has been among the most successful, ranking third among 98 Confucius Institutes in the United States with 4,000 students and around 34 Chinese teachers.