The Chinese and Bulgarian Directors of the Confucius Institute in Sofia Visited the City of Troyan

On October 27, Aksiniya Koleva, the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and Chen Ying, the Chinese director, visited the city of Troyan. They had a meeting with Donka Mihaylova, the city’s mayor, and Veronica Todorova, vice mayor, and discussed cooperation in developing Chinese language education, cultural activities, and related matters.

Mayor Donka Mihaylova introduced the city’s long history and the development of its ceramic industry, as well as the exchanges and cooperation carried out in recent years with Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, China. She expressed that Troyan would actively promote the introduction of Chinese language education, deepen understanding of China, and further expand cooperation with the country. The Chinese and Bulgarian directors of the Confucius Institute in Sofia presented the Institute’s achievements in Chinese language teaching and cultural exchanges between China and Bulgaria, and offered specific suggestions for carrying out Chinese cultural education in the city in the next academic year. They expressed their anticipation of cooperating with Troyan to jointly promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Bulgaria.

During the visit, both sides reached a consensus on cooperation. The Confucius Institute in Sofia will launch a “Chinese Language +” program that integrates Chinese language learning with Troyan’s distinctive cultural industries, promoting exchanges between China and Bulgaria in the field of ceramic culture. In addition, the two sides plan to jointly organize cultural events in Troyan and actively facilitate the establishment of sister-school relationships between schools in Troyan and schools in China, building a bridge for intercultural communication among young people of the two countries.

After the talks, the Chinese and Bulgarian directors were invited to visit the Museum of Traditional Crafts and Applied Arts in Troyan, where they examined the museum’s unique cultural resources and facilities to provide a platform to support the joint organization of future cultural activities.

Located in the central-northern part of Bulgaria, the city of Troyan has a rich cultural heritage and is renowned for its handicraft industry. It is an important center for the preservation of traditional ceramic craftsmanship in the country. In September 2023, Troyan signed a letter of intent with Jingdezhen, China, to establish a sister-city relationship.

Confucius Institute in Sofia
Text: Zhang Kaiyue
Photos: Troyan City Government, Chen Ying
Editors: Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva, Ding Chen, Chen Chen
English translation: Dima Pironkova

Photo 1 A meeting between both parties

Photo 2 The Chinese and Bulgarian directors visited the Museum of Traditional Crafts and Applied Arts in Troyan

Photo 3 Group photo