A Study Of Confucius Institutes From The Perspective Of Cultural Diplomacy

Cultural diplomacy plays an important role in the implementation of today's foreign policy.In practice,cultural diplomacy,as a cultural policy to realize national interest,can effectively achieve the cultural objectives of a country's foreign policy and promote the realization of national policy goals in such fields as economy,education,technology,religion.With the rapid economic development over the past decades,China has progressed in many aspects and achieved in just a few dozens of years what the west did in centuries,a speed unimaginable by the rest of the world.However,no country can rise to the status of a major country unless it is equally strong in areas of economy,military,science and technology,and culture.As a leading force,hard power is usually exhibited in its economic and military force while soft power in science and culture is the maintenance force for a major country.In comparison with economic trade,for which China enjoys a surplus,in cultural “trade” we are running a deficit.In the age of globalization,it is vital to enhance the power of national discourse on the world stage and to develop cultural diplomacy with other countries so as to strengthen the nation's soft power.Though China started its cultural diplomacy since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949,it did not achieve its brand integrity until the establishment,development and improvement of the Confucius Institutes around the world.The purpose of Confucius Institutes is to meet the needs of people around the world to learn Chinese,to strengthen educational and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries(regions),and develop friendly relationships with them.Yet,to the surprise of many people,Confucius Institutes were much criticized in recent years.Even worse in some areas that a few have been closed or face the risk of being closed,and there is no clear explanation towards to the situation from the Confucius Institute headquarters.This event has obviously seriously damaged China's international image.From this point of view,it is necessary to conduct researches on the existing Confucius Institutes to identify the root causes and explore solutions from the perspective of cultural diplomacy.Chapter One mainly discusses the definition of cultural diplomacy and its related theories.Firstly,this study discusses the core elements of cultural diplomacy,including the concept,principle and the distinction between public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy.Secondly,it elaborates the functions of cultural diplomacy from four aspects: fostering understanding between cultures,shaping a positive national image,enhancing the soft power of the country,and promoting foreign economic and trade cooperation.Thirdly,it discusses the development process of foreign cultural diplomacy from cultural communication to brand building from three historical periods.Chapter Two mainly discusses the development of cultural diplomacy in contemporary China.Firstly,this dissertation chooses three historical periods to review the advancement of contemporary Chinese cultural diplomacy,namely,from the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 to the pre-reform and opening-up period(around 1978),from the pre-reform and opening-up period to the opening of the 18 th CPC National Congress(toward the end of 2012)and thereafter.Secondly,this dissertation expounds the characteristics of Chinese cultural diplomacy from the four perspectives of sports diplomacy,art diplomacy,think tank diplomacy and education diplomacy.Thirdly,it summarizes and reflects on the accumulation of experiences and problems in China's cultural diplomacy.China has always adhered to cultural diplomacy,and while stressing a diversity in practice,it advocates cooperation.Currently,China's major problem within the cultural diplomacy is three folds: that the government's role is much too dominant,information sources targeting foreign audience is much too limited and there is a lack of understanding of foreign cultures.Taking Confucius Institute as a case study,Chapter Three analyses its influence on Chinese cultural diplomacy and its current situation.In this chapter,this dissertation introduces the background,original intention,principle,goal and the model of the Confucius Institutes,and analyses the cultural diplomacy mode of Confucius Institutes in detail from two perspectives: “going out” and “bringing in”.Under the “going out” model,China has set up Confucius Institutes around the world,and organized cultural activities.NOCFL has been donating books to foreign countries and launching HSK and other Chinese language examinations.Under the “bringing in” model,the NOCFL has offered a scholarship policy to attract foreign students to study in China.Confucius Institutes around the world have organized spring,summer and winter camps for visitors coming to China,and launched the “New Chinese Studies Program” to promote Chinese studies across the world.Chapter Four is the empirical analysis.Author interviewed all the NOCFLs located in Canada,uses various methods such as questionnaires,interviews,text analysis to infer and analyze the cultural diplomacy of Confucius Institutes in Canada based on various data.Firstly,the basic information,enrollment,curriculum and activities of Confucius Institutes in Canada are summarized and analyzed.Secondly,it makes a comparative analysis with the local Chinese language schools in Canada.The Chinese language schools have a better enrollment than the Confucius institutes and better connections with the local communities,but the specialized courses such as cultural experience programs in the Confucius Institutes are far better.Thirdly,upon the research,the cultural diplomacy of Confucius Institutes in Canada is evaluated objectively.Its curriculum formation and activities are rich,but it does not attach enough importance to the new Internet media environment and the contemporary Chinese pop culture.Chapter Five contains reflections and suggestions.As a brand of Chinese cultural diplomacy,Confucius Institutes have played a significant role in promoting Chinese language,cultural exchanges and in enhancing the soft power of the country.Therefore,the achievements and contributions made by the Confucius Institutes over the years should be recognized.However,as we have discovered in our research over the years,there remains much room for improvement for Confucius Institutes in Canada in areas of cognition,public relations and self-identity.