On the morning of September 24, a 13-member delegation of Queensland school leaders visited Jiangsu Normal University. Zhou Ruguang, president of JSNU met with the delegation.
President Zhou introduced the general information of JSNU from history, academics and disciplinary advantages, stressing the achievements of exchanges and studies of Australia. He pointed out that JSNU had paid much attention to the cooperation and communication with Australia. Australia Studies Center is one of the first centers that work on Australia academic studies and cultural communication. Since 2010, JSNU consecutively holds Australian Culture Weeks for 7 times. Graeme Meehan, Consul General of the Australian Consulate General Shanghai, China attended the 7th session of Australian Culture Weeks in April 2016 and addressed a speech. President Zhou indicated that the delegation would reinforce JSNU’s understanding and communication of Australia and boost the educational and cultural communication between China and Australia. Antoine Barnaart, dean of the Confucius Institute at the Queensland University of Technology extended his gratitude for JSNU’s warm reception. He introduced the institute’s way of promoting Chinese language education and Chinese culture and denoted that this visit could make Australian staff closely experience Chinese traditional culture and understand China’s education, making more Confucius Institutes established in Queensland.
The delegation paid visit to International College of JSNU after the meeting. They experienced Chinese Tea Ceremony to learn some knowledge about the basic skills and courtesy of making tea. After visiting Yunlong Academy, the delegation said that through this visit, they understand the true situation of China and China’s education and the charm of Chinese culture. From now on, they would support Chinese Language study strongly and expressed their hope of coming back to China again with their teachers and students.
This visit was sponsored by Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), and undertaken by Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education. Leaders of the delegation were Mr. Antoine Barnaart from QUT and Prof. Lin Xiaowen from JSNU. The delegation was made up of more than 10 principals of Queensland’s primary and secondary schools, aiming at enhancing their understandings of Chinese culture, education and the communication between China and Australia.
