Mission

Mission and Vision

The Confucius Institute U.S. Center (CIUS Center) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational institution in Washington D.C. with the mission of strengthening educational and cultural exchanges and fostering people to people interactions between China and the United States. The CIUS Center also supports the Confucius Institutes across America for joint efforts. In order to advance global education and cross-cultural understanding, the CIUS Center seeks to engage and serve a wide audience of organizations and sectors through four primary domains – education and professional development, arts and culture, academics and research, and public relations and outreach.

The Confucius Institute U.S. Center revolves around these four main domains which exist to support the primary mission of the center. The education and professional development domain exists to promote Chinese language learning in the United States in addition to providing professional development opportunities for Chinese language teachers. The arts and culture domain provides a platform and foundation for artistic exchange between Chinese and American culture and arts communities, including the general public. The academics and research domain fosters scholarly dialogue among experts and the academic community on relevant topics pertaining to China and the world. Finally, the purpose of the public relations and outreach domain is to introduce the public to the achievements and ongoing programs of the CIUS Center as well as the Confucius Institutes of America.

Arts and Culture

The Confucius Institute U.S. Center is committed to creating opportunities for cultural exchange through the arts.  It is our mission to organize exhibitions, performances, and discussions related to Chinese and American Culture, and we expect to expand these programs in the coming years.  The CIUS Center has also acted as the host or cosponsor for other cultural events throughout the D.C. area.  In addition to our programs and workshops, the CIUS Center also houses a small gallery which displays a rotating calendar of exhibitions related to Chinese history and culture.

Education and Professional Development

The education and professional development programs at the Confucius Institute U.S. Center seek to serve several functions. In 2015, Presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama launched the “One Million Strong” initiative. The goal of this initiative is that by 2020 there will be one million American students learning Mandarin Chinese, five times the amount of students currently studying Mandarin. The Confucius Institute U.S. Center seeks to support this effort by connecting school districts interested in developing a Chinese language curriculum to the appropriate resources and support.  Another function of this domain is to provide professional development opportunities to Confucius Classroom teachers who are teaching in the K-12 schools systems in America. The continued development and investment in Confucius Institute Chinese language teachers will ensure the continuation of high quality Chinese language instruction to students across America.


Academics and Research

The academics and research domain serves to engage the scholarly community in Washington, D.C. around relevant and timely global topics as it relates to China and the world. The Confucius Institute U.S. Center’s (CIUS Center) location on “think tank row” is ideally positioned for academic panels and discussions.

Public Relations and Outreach

The public relations and outreach domain serves to promote the Confucius Institute U.S. Center’s mission of people to people engagement between China and the United States, as well as celebrating the achievements of Confucius Institutes in America. This is achieved through partnerships with organizations of similar vision as well as public events to celebrate the achievements of Confucius Institutes. In 2016, the Confucius Institute U.S. Center also established an official partnership with World Affairs Council-Washington, DC. In September, on International Confucius Institute Day, the CIUS Center hosted its inaugural National Honors Gala at the Ronald Reagan Building which celebrated the achievements of ten distinguished Confucius Institute students selected from across the country. As the Confucius Institute U.S. Center seeks to establish itself as a prominent educational and international affairs organization in Washington DC, it will continue to seek out opportunities for media engagement and public partnerships.