The Confucius Institute:Promoting Soft Power Or Building A Bridge?

If we were to ask the average American what they know about China,they might say:it's a country in Asia and they have great food.However,what do we really know about China?Do we have an understanding about the language,culture,and or the people that populate 1/7 of the word?I would say most Americans know about China,but they don't have an understanding of China.With this being said,in the past years China has worked very hard to convey language and culture exchanges.One of the most prevalent means is through the Confucius Institute.China's means of cultural communication through this institute has been a very interesting topic in the United States.Some say its just one way to share their culture with the world,but others say it's to push their ideas and spread soft power.This paper will take a look at both theories soft power and cultural communication and connect it to the Confucius Institute.Furthermore,we selected a specific CI location in the state of Texas at one of the local universities to conduct our research.The questions yet to be answered is what is China' s goal?Where should there be improvement?China and the US have always had a unique relationship.When you think of the West you think America and when you think of the East you think China.Together these countries need each other.