A Delegation From the Center For Language Education and Cooperation Have Visited the Confucius Institute In Sofia

On April 23rd 2025, Mrs Jing Wei - the deputy director of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) has led a delegation to visit the Confucius Institute in Sofia. The CLEC delegation has been accompanied by Mr Mao Yancheng - the deputy director of the Development Planning Division at CLEC, Mrs Zhang Huijun - the deputy director of the Cultural Department at CLEC, Mrs Meng Zhaoxi - a Senior Project Manager at the Europe Division at CLEC, and Mrs Shi Linlin - a project manager at the Cultural Department at CLEC. The delegation has been received by Mrs Aksiniya Koleva – the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia and prof. Chen Ying - the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia.
During the meeting, the delegation have conducted discussions with the Chinese and Bulgarian directors of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, as well as with the Chinese teachers and volunteers. Mrs Aksiniya Koleva - the CIS director from the Bulgarian side, and Prof. Chen Ying - the CIS director from the Chinese side, have reviewed the development history of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and have introduced the facts related to the cooperation between the Confucius Institute in Sofia and local schools, publishing houses and other cities, as well as their main achievements. The representatives of the Chinese teachers and volunteers at CIS have shared their own work experiences and achievements. Mrs Jing Wei has fully confirmed the achievements of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and has expressed her gratitude to all the staff for their hard work. Moreover, she has put forward some suggestions for the future development of CIS in terms of the systematisation, the specialisation, the functionality and the expertise of the Chinese language teaching and the development of the cultural activities branding. She has also expressed her hopes that the Confucius Institute in Sofia will strenthen even more their leading role in the Chinese language teaching.
The delegation have also visited some of the teaching facilities at the Confucius Institute in Sofia, together with some venues for cultural activities, including the CIS library with their collection of more than 27,000 books, the multi-functional hall for academic exchanges with a capacity for 200 people, the audio classroom, and the exhibition hall for paintings and drawings.
Founded in 2006, after nearly two decades of development, currently the Confucius Institute in Sofia has eight Confucius Classrooms, with a total of over 30,000 registered students, and has become an important platform for the Chinese language education in Bulgaria and a bridge for the humanistic exchanges between China and Bulgaria.

The Confucius Institute in Sofia
Text: Chen Chen
Photos: Biliana Isaeva
Editors: Prof. Chen Ying, Aksinia Koleva
English translation: Maya Kostadinova

Picture 1. The delegation during their meeting with the Chinese and Bulgarian directors of the Confucius Institute in Sofia.

Picture 2. Representatives of CIS teachers presenting their work.

Picture 3. The delegation visiting the library.

Picture 4. A group photo of the both parties.