The Confucius Institute In Sofia Have Established a Chinese Cultural Corner – Nishan Library

On 30th October 2024, the Chinese Cultural Corner - Nishan Library at the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Bulgaria has been officially inaugurated. The opening ceremony has been guided by Mrs Li Dongyan - Director of the Cultural Heritage Office in the City of Heze in the Shandong Province, and members of the cultural exchange delegation from the city of Heze led by her. The ceremony has been presided 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. The event has been attended by representatives of the library of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, representatives of the Digital Technology Cooperation Company (PC-TM Ltd.) – the software provider for the library of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, book donors among the Bulgarian sinologists, students in the Southern And Southeastern Asian Studies programme at the University of Sofia, and Chinese students and teachers from the Confucius Institute in Sofia. The audience has amounted up to more than 30 people in total.
Mrs Li Dongyan has said that the city of Heze in its capacity of being the famous peony capital of China, insists on the development of the concept of using flowers as a medium for a deeper exploration of the cultural value of the peony and the rose - the flowers that “possess shared beauty”, and thus to promote the in-depth integration of the national cultures of China and Bulgaria. Moreover, she has mentioned that the Chinese Cultural Corner - Nishan Library would be committed to the promotion of the cultural exchange between China and the countries abroad, and to the handing down of the Chinese civilisation heritage. In addition, after having put down roots in Sofia, the Nishan Library would enable more Bulgarian friends to learn about the city of Heze - a place of rich cultural heritage, so that they could better understand China and the Chinese culture.
Mrs Aksiniya Koleva - the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and Prof. Chen Ying - the Chinese Director of CIS, have summerised the development history of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and have introduced the current teaching and cultural programmes. They both have expressed their gratitude to the delegation from the city of Heze for their support to the Confucius Institute, and their hope for better cooperation between the two parties in the future on the branded cultural programmes of the Confucius Institute.
Simultaneously with the inauguration ceremony, there has been a display of the first batch of nearly fifty books donated from the city of Heze together with various Chinese cultural items. Numerous books donated by Bulgarian sinologists and scholars of Chinese culture studies have been displayed at the inauguration ceremony as well.
After the inauguration ceremony, both sides have exchanged gifts.
The Chinese Cultural Corner - Nishan Library has been named after Nishan in Shandong Province - the hometown of Confucius. The name is implying that the library could resemble a temple for students to learn the wisdom of Chinese culture, and it has already been set up in many countries in Europe, America, Oceania and Asia, which has provided Chinese language and culture enthusiasts with a rich source of reading resources. The Chinese Cultural Corner - Nishan Library has helped them to get a deeper understanding of the Chinese culture, and has provided a new platform for spreading the good stories of China.

Confucius Institute in Sofia
Text: Chen Chen
Photos: Wang Xiaodong
Editors: Prof. Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva
English translation: Maya Kostadinova

Picture 1. Friendly exchanges between the Confucius Institute in Sofia and the delegation.

Picture 2. A group photo of both parties after the discussion.

Picture 3. The unveil ceremony.

Picture 4. A group photo after the unveil ceremony.

Picture 5. The Confucius Institute in Sofia presents a gift to the delegation.

Picture 6. The delegation browsing the books of the Confucius Institute's collection