EDINBURGH, June 9 (Xinhua) -- The annual European Confucius Institutes and Classrooms Working Symposium closed here Friday at the University of Edinburgh.

At the symposium, representatives from 75 Confucius Institutes in Europe, 15 Confucius Classrooms and 15 Chinese universities compared notes, helped each other resolve problems, and looked optimistically into the future.

EXPERIENCES AND PROBLEMS

The number of Confucius Institutes has been mushrooming around the world since China opened the first one in 2004. To gain more influence in local society, the institutes came up with different measures.

Nikolay Kukharenko, director of the Confucius Institute at Blagoveshchensk National Pedagogical University of Russia, has started to offer free lessons for senior citizens in local communities, teaching them not only Mandarin, but Chinese calligraphy, paper-cutting and poetry.

As the courses became more popular, government staff such as immigration officers gradually joined the courses. "It has a positive effect on the Confucius Institute," he said.

Zhou Xiaoqian, a representative from the Confucius Classroom in Dunbartonshire in Britain, shared her cross-curriculum experience. "I worked with five departments," she said. In the art department, she would teach students paper-cutting, while in the economics department, she would discuss China's economic situation, Zhou said.

Song Shaofeng, a representative from the Confucius Institute at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania, has just started teaching some students from the local mayor's office after the government inked a trade deal with China.

However, problems, such as the delay of visas for Chinese teachers to Britain, still remain. According to the participants at the symposium, it sometimes happened that teachers only got their visas when a term was already halfway over.

Meanwhile, Chen Yong, representative of the Confucius Institute in Pisa,Italy, mentioned another problem: Some Chinese teachers were not familiar with foreign teaching standards.

Lu Hong, a coordinator from the Confucius Institute for Business in London, suggested postponing the teachers' trips to the next term, so as to make it easier to arrange the curricula.

For its part, the Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield in Britain introduced its own system of recruiting local teachers, which not only ensured the continuity of courses, but also pushed forward the localization of Confucius Institutes.

Yuan Li, from the Confucius Institute Headquarters, or Hanban, said he would report the problems to the headquarters to seek a proper solution.

"The Chinese teachers who go to a foreign country for a year, leaving their families behind, don't have it easy," Yuan said. "Let us give them some tolerance and encourage them to improve."

NEW CHINESE LANGUAGE PROGRAM

A new program promoting the international research and study of the Chinese language was also announced at the symposium.

The program aims to help outstanding foreign scholars study in China, so as to boost the development of Chinese studies in foreign countries and enhance understanding between China and foreign countries.

After joining the program, foreign students could pursue a doctorate in China. Those who are obtaining doctorates in foreign countries could study in China for a period of time, or conduct a research project in China. Meanwhile, senior professors are also encouraged to apply as visiting scholars.

However, the program's field of research would be limited to the humanities and social sciences, like China's literature, culture and contemporary Chinese studies.

Applicants have to pass a Chinese language test and the assessment of the Chinese Confucius Headquarters to obtain a scholarship. The first batch of applicants must apply before Oct. 30 this year, and the results will be made public after next February.

Representatives at the symposium welcomed the idea. Director-general of Hanban Xu Lin said he hopes the program will help nurture some new talent in Chinese studies.

Confucius Institutes around the world are nonprofit public institutions jointly established by the Confucius Institute Headquarters, Chinese colleges and high schools with foreign educational institutions. Their aim is to teach the Chinese language and promote cultural exchanges overseas.

By the end of last year, China had established 358 Confucius Institutes and 500 Confucius Classrooms in 105 countries and regions. In Europe alone, 129 institutions and 104 classrooms were established throughout 34 countries and regions.