South China Normal University has established three Confucius Institutes and 14 affiliated Confucius Classrooms through partnerships with Canada's Coquitlam School District in British Columbia, France's University of La Réunion, and the University of Latvia. These three institutes have built robust foundations and achieved remarkable outcomes in promoting Chinese language and culture.
Confucius Institute in Coquitlam, Canada
The Confucius Institute in Coquitlam, Canada, was jointly established by SCNU and School District No. 43 (Coquitlam) in British Columbia. Evolving from a Confucius Classroom founded in 2008, it was officially inaugurated as a full Institute in 2011.
The Institute specializes in international Chinese language education within the K-12 school system. It has established nine Confucius Classrooms across public and private schools, three of which offer accredited Chinese language credit courses.
In recognition of its exemplary performance and outstanding contributions, the Institute was honored with "Global Model Confucius Institute" in 2014.
It serves as a vital platform for Canadian students to learn the Chinese language and deepen their understanding of Chinese culture.
Confucius Institute at the University of La Réunion (France)
The Confucius Institute at the University of La Réunion (France) was jointly established by SCNU and the University of La Réunion in November, 2010. It was honored as a "Global Model Confucius Institute" in 2017.
Fully integrated into the University of La Réunion's strategic development, the institute serves both the campus and the wider community. It offers mandatory Chinese language credit courses to undergraduate and graduate students in the English Department of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
A significant milestone was reached in 2020 with the launch of a new bachelor's program in Applied Languages (Chinese & English), marking a strategic shift toward a "Chinese + Professional Skills" model. This innovative approach has been well received and has generated positive outcomes, laying a strong foundation for future growth and deeper integration into the academic and local ecosystem.
Confucius Institute at the University of Latvia
The Confucius Institute of the University of Latvia was founded in 2011 by SCNU and the University of Latvia, and it's the only one Confucius Institute exists in Latvia.
With 17 teaching locations—including five Confucius Classrooms—the institute now covers the entire nation, delivering Chinese language programs across primary schools, secondary schools, and universities. Eight of these sites have integrated Chinese language courses into their formal credit systems, offering them as either compulsory or elective subjects.
Professor Peteris Pildegovics
The institute's Latvian co-director, Professor Peteris Pildegovics, has dedicated more than 50 years to learning, teaching, and promoting Chinese language and culture, as well as fostering friendly exchanges between Latvia and China. He has long been committed to compiling practical Chinese language learning resources and has published works such as Selected Latvian-Chinese & Chinese-Latvian Dictionary, Comprehensive Chinese-Latvian Dictionary, My Chinese Story, and Selected Tang Poems Translated into Latvian.