History

The London Confucius Institute (LCI) is a result of a long term consultation and cooperation between SOAS and Hanban with the help of the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in London. Following the initial visit by Hanban to SOAS in 2002, a MoU was agreed between SOAS and Hanban when the Vice minister of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Zhang Xinsheng, visited SOAS in May 2004 to set up a centre for Chinese language studies. When the Confucius Institute was launched by Hanban in 2005, SOAS was the first institution in the UK to sign the agreement with Hanban that established the LCI with its appointed Chinese partner Peking University. At the first World Chinese Conference held in August 2005, the LCI was amongst the first group of Confucius Institutes to be officially approved and awarded the Confucius Institute plaque by Hanban.

Discussing the MoU [clock-wise from left] Dr Bernard Fürher (former Associate Dean, Faculty of Languages and Cultures, former Head of Dept Chinese and Inner Asia, SOAS), Dr George X Zhang (Chinese Courses Co-ordinator, SOAS Language Centre), Professor Graham Furniss (former Dean, Faculty of Languages and Cultures, SOAS), Professor Colin Bundy (Director, SOAS), Dr Zhang Xinsheng (Vice minister, Ministry of Education, PRC), Mr Wang Yongda (Minister-counsellor for Education, Embassy of PRC), Dr Michel Hockx, (Professor of Chinese, SOAS), Professor Elisabeth Croll (Pro-director for External Affairs, SOAS).