A non-profit collaboration, the Confucius Institute at Oxford Brookes University (CIOBU) is the first Confucius Institute in the world co-established by a university and a publishing company in China (Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press). Publishing is the specialist focus of CIOBU, making CIOBU a unique presence among all the Confucius Institutes around the globe. In April 2016, CIOBU officially opened its doors and began working toward promoting Chinese language and culture, as well as offering publishing-related activities. CIOBU commits to aiding co-operation between Chinese and UK publishing whilst encouraging Chinese Language Teaching (CLT) or China-related publications.
Since its launch in 2016 the CIOBU has worked with 1,500 learners and put on events and activities for over 11,000 attendees. Over 500 students have taken examinations through the CIOBU test centre. The Institute has established relationships with local schools such as Didcot Girls’ School, Oxford High School and a variety of primary schools, offering classroom teaching and special activities around Chinese culture. In a partnership with Macmillan Education, seminars and workshops have been held around the teaching of the Chinese language.
Cultural events include regular exhibitions of art and photography, and the annual New Year Show at the Oxford Playhouse. Within the University the Institute participates in One World Week, OutBurst, Freshers Fair and the Science Bazaar.
In the area of publishing, regular training activities have been carried out with courses on digital publishing for groups of Chinese professionals as well as a summer school held in Oxford. Two symposia on publishing in the UK and China have been held, one in Oxford and one in Beijing. In 2019 a group of young publishing professionals from the UK industry were taken to Beijing for the international book fair.
Our mission to promote Chinese language and culture includes the following objectives:
- Offer Chinese language and culture courses
- Host China-themed activities and events to facilitate cultural exchange
- Foster Sino-British co-operation in the creative industries
