The Confucius Institute In Sofia Have Organised a Celebration Of the 75th Anniversary Of the Establishment Of Diplomatic Relations Between Bulgaria And China Named “Bulgaria And China - Celebrating Our Friendship And Looking Forward To a Shared Future”

On 4th October 2024, the Confucius Institute in Sofia have hosted a celebration named “Bulgaria and China - Celebrating Our Friendship And Looking Forward To a Shared Future” to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and China, as well as to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Confucius Institutes in the world, the Global Confucius Institute Day, the National Day of the People’s Republic of China and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The guests of honour attending the celebration inclided Mr Guan Xin - the Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, Assoc. Prof. Valentin Katrandzhiev - an expert at the Diplomatic Institute of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Petrana Stoykova - vice-Rector of the Southwest University in Blagoevgrad, Prof.Nelly Grozeva - vice-Rector of the Trakia University in Stara Zagora, Mrs. Snezhana Todorova - President of the Association of Bulgarian Journalists, Mr Lin Hao - Director of the Sofia branch of the Xinhua News Agency, Prof.Dong Yuanxing - the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Prof.Nako Stefanov - the Honorary director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Mrs Aksiniya Koleva - the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Prof. Chen Ying – the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, experts from the University of Sofia, from the Trakia University, from the National Academy Of Theatre And Cinematographic Arts and from others, as well as a representative from the Chinese Cultural Center in Sofia.The celebration has been attended by numerous representatives of the teachers and the students from several Confucius Classrooms and teaching centers under the Confucius Institute in Sofia.As many as 300 people, including people from the local community, have attended the event.
In his speech, Mr Guan Xin has said that celebrating China's National Day and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria has brought double joy to the people of the two nations. He has stressed that the Confucius Institutes through their promotion of the Chinese language and culture, have helped people from all over the world to understand China, and have created excellent conditions for China and Bulgaria to understand each other and to engage in friendly exchanges.
Prof. Nellie Grozeva - the vice-Rector of the University of Thrace in Stara Zagora and Assoc. prof. Petrana Stojkova - the vice-Rector of Southwest University in Blagoevgrad, have delivered speeches on behalf of the rectors of their universities, expressing their heartfelt greetings on the anniversaries, doubled with their pride in the deepening of co-operation between China and Bulgaria in the fields of culture, agriculture, education, etc., and confirming their good wishes for the friendship between China and Bulgaria.
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, have expressed their gratitude to all the parties for their support to the Confucius Institute in Sofia. They have declared that the Confucius Institute in Sofia will continue to work steadily for the spreading of the Chinese culture in Bulgaria, so that more and more Bulgarian young people could learn Chinese, understand China and could become ambassadors of the friendship between the people of the two nations.
In the multi-purpose hall of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Bulgarian students from the Confucius Classroom at the Maxim Gorky Secondary School in Stara Zagora, the Confucius Classroom at the 18th Secondary School in Sofia, the Confucius Classroom at the 138th Secondary School in Sofia, the Evlogy And Hristo Georgievi Private School in Sofia, the Djanni Rodari Private School in Sofia, the Confucius Classroom at the Otets Paisiy 191st Primary School in the village of Zheleznitsa, and Chinese postgraduate students from the ‘Prof. Pantcho Vladigerov’ State Academy Of Music in Sofia have performed traditional dances and songs from the two countries, a short drama play, a traditional musical instrument performance, a calligraphy demonstration – traditional arts from each other's countries and in each other's languages, which has enhanced the mutual understanding and has demonstrated the friendship between both countries.
At present, the Confucius Institute in Sofia has eight Confucius Classrooms located in the capital city of Sofia, and in the main cities like Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad, Ruse, Stara Zagora and Burgas, all of which have developed into Chinese language and culture distribution centres in their regions.
The event was covered by Xinhua, People's Daily, China.com and Athens News.

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

Picture 1. Mr Guan Xin – the Cultural counsellor at the Embassy of PRC in Bulgaria, delivering his speech.

Picture 2. The speech pf Prof. Nellie Grozeva -vice-Rector of the University of Thrace in Stara Zagora.

Picture 3. The speech of Assoc.Prof. Petrana Stojkova - vice Rector of Southwest University in Blagoevgrad.

Picture 4. Mrs Aksiniya Koleva - the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute Sofia, and Prof.Chen Ying -the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute Sofia, delivering their speech.

Picture 5. A student from the Confucius Classroom of the Maxim Gorky Secondary School in Stara Zagora singing ‘Kangding Love Song’.

Picture 6. Students from the Evlogy And Hristo Georgievi Private School in Sofia performing a short Chinese drama.

Picture 7. Students from the 191 Primary School in Zheleznitsa singing songs in Bulgarian.

Picture 8. A group photo.