The Confucius Institute Finds A Home

There has, of late, been an appar-ently unstoppable and insatiable worldwide interest in everything Chinese–from business to arts, from language to food, from fashion to medicine. This growing interest has led the Chinese government to establish the Confucius Institute, a center of Sino culture in the same vein as France’s Alliance Francaise, the United Kingdom’s British Council and Germany’s Goethe Institut, with branches all over the world to promote Chinese language and culture.

The website of Hanban, the Office of the Chinese Language International in Beijing, explains: "Confucius is a famous thinker, educator and philosopher in Chinese history. His doctrine has a very important influence throughout the world. To name this institute after him shows the longevity and profundity of Chinese language and culture. It also embodies the development trend of the integration of Chinese language and culture into the world in the new century."

China’s goal is to open 100 Confucius Institutes around the world by 2010. During the World Chinese Language Conference in Beijing last year, China awarded 25 partner academies in 20 countries golden plaques as the first group of Confucius Institutes. These were located in Canada, the US, Oceania, Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, the UK, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Uzbekistan, Kenya, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand and the Philippines. There are over 70 institutes around the world.

On October 3, the Confucius Institute in the Philippines will be formally launched. The event is set two days after the Chinese National Day, which is being celebrated today. The timing couldn’t be more auspicious, claims its director, Dr. Ellen Palanca.

The Confucius Institute is housed in the Ateneo de Manila’s Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies, set up last year under the university’s School of Social Sciences with a generous grant from Chinese-Filipino businessman Ricardo Leong and his wife Rosita, a medical doctor.

The grant by the Leong couple was inspired by a book, "Heroic Leadership" by Chris Lowney, and the work of a 16th century Italian Jesuit priest, Matteo Ricci.

Confucius Institute assistant director Fr. Aristotle Dy explains: "In ‘Heroic Leadership’, Chris Lowney, former Jesuit and an executive at J.P. Morgan, presents the Society of Jesus as an innovative ‘company’ with four unique leadership principles that have guided the Jesuits’ diverse pursuits over 450 years. The four principles are self-awareness, ingenuity, love, and heroism. The book is full of historical examples of Jesuits who embodied these principles in their pioneering work.

"One of the case studies presented by Lowney is that of Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci, who engaged Chinese culture and made it known in the West in the late 16th century. Ricci introduced Western science, mathematics, and mapmaking to the Chinese Mandarins, and eventually won the favor of the Emperor, obtaining a license to preach the Christian faith in China.

"It was upon reading ‘Heroic Leadership’ that Ricardo and Rosita Leong were inspired to collaborate with the Jesuits in helping Filipinos engage China in the 21st century. Thus was born the Ateneo de Manila University’s Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies, which now hosts the Confucius Institute in the Philippines."

I do not have to preach to you the importance of learning and teaching Chinese Mandarin at this time when China is becoming a strong economic power," Dr. Palanca emphasized during the opening ceremony of the First National Summer Seminar-Workshop for Mandarin Language Teachers in the Higher Education Level organized by the Leong Center last April.

The workshop for educators brought together 43 participants from as far north as Ilocos Norte and as far south as Zamboanga del Sur. Dr. Palanca emphasized the importance of providing Chinese classes–language, art and social sciences–to enhance the skills in teaching Chinese in the country.

Even President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo acknowledged the importance of such studies and instructed the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to encourage academic institutions to offer Chinese language classes.

Ateneo’s Chinese Studies Program recognized the need to teach Sino languages and culture two decades ago. It offers Chinese Mandarin and courses in Chinese history, culture, politics, economics, philosophy to college students. Mandarin is taught as a second language, using the Hanyu Pinyin method of romanization and the simplified Chinese script.

Basic Mandarin classes are given to two types of students–those with a background in Chinese (usually ethnic Chinese students who graduated from Chinese high schools) and those without. Aside from Chinese language certificates, the program also offers a minor in Chinese Studies which requires two Chinese Mandarin courses and three Chinese studies electives involving special topics in Chinese history, politics, economics and culture.

"Definitely, the interest in China helped the academic program," Dr. Palanca confirms. "Initially, it was so difficult to attract students to take up even the language since it’s not a required course. Ateneo college students are required to take one foreign language but we have to compete with so many other languages like Japanese, Spanish, German and so on. There used to be less than 10 students who graduated with a minor in Chinese Studies. Now, more and more students are taking Chinese whether or not they have Chinese blood. The average now has gone up to about 35 graduates. Students recognize that this can land them better jobs in the Philippines as well as in China. We have graduates who are now working in companies in China. There are job opportunities aside from the possibility of doing business with Chinese businessmen. Many of our business students now want to learn how to speak Chinese. Before, they were more interested in Japanese. There is a greater awareness now of the importance of speaking the language to be able to do business with the Chinese."

Though many Tsinoys still speak their native tongue, their ethnic Chinese ancestors hail from Fujian where Hokkien is spoken. "But Mandarin, called Putonghua or literally common language, is the national language learned by foreigners who want to do business anywhere in China. The difficulty here in the Philippines is that 90% who speak Chinese know Hokkien. Mandarin is really a second or even third language," admits Dr. Palanca.

Ateneo’s Chinese Studies Center competed with other schools–many of them Chinese schools–to be the partner of the Confucius Institute in Manila. Why was Ateneo chosen? Dr. Palanca refers to their highly-developed program which has, through the years, networked with China-based universities.

"Another reason is that we can cater to the needs of the mainstream society," she adds. "In contrast, a Chinese school would have a tendency to cater only to the Chinese community." This ability to reach a wider range of students coincides with the Confucius Institute’s goal of popularizing Chinese language teaching.

China has generously sent books and materials as well as financial support for office and video equipment. To start construction soon is a new building which will house both the center and the institute. Vacated space in the old Social Science building will be converted into classrooms.

Among future plans is a program for a Bachelor’s in Chinese Studies with tracks in Business, Humanities or Social Sciences. On their second year, students continue their education in China for two terms. This is similar to the Junior Term Abroad of the Ateneo School of Management.

"But we have yet to pursue the curricular proposal," Dr. Palanca explains. "For now, we offer an elective called ‘Doing Business in China: Breaking the Language Barrier and Exploring Business Opportunities’ in cooperation with the Ateneo Graduate School of Business Center for Continuing Education for people who are looking at China for business opportunities. As for offering masteral and doctoral degrees in Chinese Studies, that can wait. We already have a lot on our hands."