INSTITUTE

Confucius Institute

The Confucius Institute at the University of Banja Luka is an education centre established in December 2017 with the aim of promoting the Chinese language and culture. The Chinese language and culture are taught by native Chinese speakers and professors of the Chinese language. It is located on the first floor of the Faculty of Political Science, University Campus. The Institute provides the Chinese language and culture сourses for pre-school, primary and secondary school children, students and professors, and everyone else interested in studying the Chinese language and learning more about its culture and customs. Upon completing the programme, they are awarded the certificates of completion of the three-month Chinese language course, and they may take the HSK Test (a standardised test of the Chinese language proficiency for non-native Chinese speakers) and the YCT (a test for primary school students) at the Confucius Institute, which is also a Test Centre for this internationally recognised examination. In the library of the Faculty of Political Science, the Confucius Institute has over 2,000 books in Chinese and English on China and Chinese culture, which may help the students and citizens learn more about this country and its culture as well as about its social and economic trends.

CULTURAL CONNECTION

PUBLISHING

ЕDUCATION

PROMOTION

The Institute has also participated in the publication of several books and translations of literary works, such as The Beijing Opera by Prof. Ljiljana Stević, PhD, The Heralds of the First Knowledge on China in Serbia by the Serbian Professor of the Chinese Language Selena Pjević, the collection of poems Two by Banja Luka poets Stevka Kozić Preradović and Ranko Preradović, the translation of Petar Kočić's Mrguda into Chinese and Esperanto, as a result of the cooperation between the Confucius Institute, the International Association of Scientists, the City Esperanto Association La Mondo Banja Luka and Tianjin Esperanto Association, as well as the Chinese translation of selected short stories by Petar Kočić in the form of a comic book entitled The Comics by the Motifs of Petar Kočić, in cooperation with the Association of Comic Authors and Comic Fans of the Republic of Srpska Ninth Dimension Banja Luka.

Confucius Institute – The Bridge that Connects

No less significant is the Confucius Institute’s contribution to the networking between the home academic and state institutions and the institutions in the People's Republic of China (in economics, culture, education, tourism etc.). Thus, already in the first year of establishment, in September 2018, the Institute helped the Republic of Srpska Government delegation visit Tianjin University of Technology and Education, where they presented the Saint Stephen plaque to the rector of the University as a sign of gratitude for her contribution to the promotion of bilateral educational and cultural cooperation. That same year, the representatives of the City of Banja Luka and the then mayor visited Tianjin University of Technology and Education, on which occasion he expressed his satisfaction with the work and achievements of the Confucius Institute at the University of Banja Luka. With the support and help of the Confucius Institute, the representatives of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Social Policy were also invited the following year to China to promote the tourism programme of Banja Luka at the China Tourism Industries Exposition. With the assistance of the Confucius Institute, different delegations of the University of Banja Luka visit China and its higher education institutions every year. Furthermore, the Institute has assisted in establishing the Sinology Study Programme at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Banja Luka. Over the several years of its existence, it has announced several scholarships for university students to study at universities in China.

Isn’t it a pleasure to study and practisewhat you have learned?

Supporting and encouraging children and young adults to learn Chinese is the most important contribution of the Confucius Institute. In addition to its activities in promoting the Chinese language, the Institute has also been promoting the Chinese culture and art by organising various public events, such as the exhibition of paintings and calligraphy works by the academic painters and professors of the Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts from the People's Republic of China, the photo exhibition "Tea, Love and the World", photographs of which have been chosen by a special jury from China and shown all over the world, in cooperation with the International Association of Scientists, as well as the exhibition of the Dehua porcelain from China in Banja Luka. What the Confucius Institute is particularly proud of, though, is the art competition for primary and secondary school students, which is organised every year in honour of the Chinese New Year. The many drawings these students submit year after year confirm the success of this initiative.

Over the years, the Confucius Institute has established cooperation with many institutions in the Republic of Srpska. Hence, it supported the Museum of the Republic of Srpska and its Archaeological Film Review, Mali Princ Youth Organisation and Poliglota Institute in Brčko in their organising of various educational workshops for the general public, as well as Dr Miroslav Zotović Institute for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation by providing Tai Chi training for its physiotherapists, which they could continue to practise with their patients. Every June, the Confucius Institute celebrates World Music Day with the Academy of Arts of the University of Banja Luka, presenting the traditional Chinese music and musical instruments to the general public. Moreover, it often organises concerts dedicated to the Lunar New Year or other significant events.