The Confucius Institute in Sofia Hosted the 2026 Spring Festival Gala for Chinese and Bulgarian Teachers and Students

On February 7, the Confucius Institute in Sofia held the 2026 Spring Festival Gala for Chinese and Bulgarian Teachers and Students to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, the Year of the Horse.

The event was attended by nearly 400 participants, including Zhang Yanbo, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria; Yang Tian, Head of Education Affairs at the Embassy; Eleonora Lilova, Director of the Sofia Regional Education Department of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science; Valentin Katrandzhiev, Senior Expert at the Diplomatic Academy of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Reneta Bozhankova, Vice-Rector of Sofia University; Bistra Boyanova, Head of the Department of Education, Youth Policy, Sports, Culture, and Social Activities of Kostinbrod Municipality; Radoslav Tsonev, Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Literatures at Southwest University; Iskra Mandova, Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute at Veliko Tarnovo University; Snezhana Todorova, Chair of the Bulgarian Journalists’ Association; Lin Hao, Chief Reporter of Xinhua News Agency Sofia Bureau; and Wang Pujian, President of the Sino-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce.

Also present were principals and vice-principals from schools including Secondary Schools in Sofia No. 18 “William Gladstone”, No. 138 “Prof. Vasil Zlatarski”, No. 101 “Bacho Kiro”, No. 51 “Elisaveta Bagryana”, No. 191 “Father Paisius”, the 9th French High School “Alphonse de Lamartine”, as well as the “Maxim Gorky” High School in Stara Zagora, “Petar Bogdan” Foreign Language High School in Montana, and “Dr. Peter Beron” High School in Kostinbrod.

Additionally, the audience included Aksiniya Koleva, Bulgarian Director, and Chen Ying, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia; teachers and students from the Confucius Classrooms and affiliated teaching centers; parents; Chinese expatriates and international students in Bulgaria; and representatives from various partner institutions.

In her speech, Zhang Yanbo, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, expressed gratitude to all parties for their support of educational and cultural exchanges between China and Bulgaria. She also stated that the Embassy will continue to support the development of the Confucius Institute and looks forward to its greater role in deepening educational cooperation and strengthening friendship between the two countries.

The Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Aksiniya Koleva, and the Chinese Director, Chen Ying, introduced the cultural significance of the Year of the Fire Horse in 2026. They also reviewed the Institute’s achievements over the past twenty years in building a network for Chinese language education and promoting social cooperation, affirming that the Institute will continue to serve as a bridge for educational and cultural exchange between China and Bulgaria.

Nearly 150 participants, including Bulgarian students learning Chinese from Sofia, Stara Zagora, Burgas, Ruse, and other cities, as well as Chinese students studying in Bulgaria, took part in the performances. The program featured Chinese ribbon dragon dances, ethnic dances, fashion shows, martial arts, guzheng music, and solo and group Chinese and Bulgarian songs. Through this rich variety of artistic forms, the event showcased the beauty of Chinese and Bulgarian cultures, built bridges of friendship through immersive interactions, and allowed the audience to experience the unique charm of cultural exchange between the two countries.

During the gala, the Confucius Institute in Sofia also presented awards to winners at various levels of the 2025 Chinese Idiom Interpretation Competition, encouraging students to continue deepening their study of the Chinese language and to further enhance their understanding of Chinese language and culture.

The event was covered by Xinhua News Agency and other media outlets.

Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text: Ding Chen

Photos: Bilyana Isaeva, Ding Chen, Zhang Kaiyue, Tang Liangyan

Editors: Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva

English translation: Dima Pironkova