Students from 23 countries complete Chinese language courses offered by UM Confucius Institute

The University of Macau (UM) Confucius Institute recently held a graduation ceremony for students from its Chinese language courses. 71 students from 23 countries received their certificates. Prof Hong Gang Jin, director of the institute and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, awarded Best Student Awards to students for their outstanding performance. She adds that she is pleased to see the number of applicants for the language courses is increasing, saying that the institute will continue to fulfill its mission to promote Chinese culture and Chinese language learning.

The institute currently offers courses at elementary and intermediate levels to non-Chinese speakers in Macao. In the next semester, it will start to offer courses at the advanced level. Over the years, the courses have graduated students from different countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Italy, France, Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, the Philippines, India, Japan, and South Korea. Upon completion of the elementary course, students will be able to conduct basic conversations in Chinese. Those who complete the intermediate course will be able to make decent presentations in Chinese. 

During the ceremony, students from elementary and intermediate courses showcased their language skills: Jeremy De Chavez recited the classical Chinese poem ‘Jiang Jin Jiu’ (將進酒); Claudia Andrea Francomano sang the popular Chinese folk song ‘Mo Li Hua’ (茉莉花); Jeremy De Chavez and Jiyeon Lee sang ‘The Love You Want’ (你要的愛) in Chinese, English, Korean, and Filipino; Hyung Je Cho, Jeremy De Chavez, Mario Wenning, and Claudia Andrea Francomano delivered a humorous language talent show, titled ‘The Chinese Crosstalk’ (三句半); Evan Britanico, Ilidia Mazuze, and Pauline Wagan sang a song adapted from the classical Chinese poem ‘Shuidiao Getou’ (水調歌頭) while playing the guitar. The show climaxed with Joshua Lee singing the famous gospel song ‘Amazing Grace’ in Chinese.

Guests at the ceremony were Prof De Bao Xu, master of Ma Man Kei and Lo Pak Sam College; Prof Xu Jie, head of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature; Prof Chen Zhong, deputy director of the UM Confucius Institute; and Cho Hyung Je, president of the Alumni Association of the Confucius Institute.