On November 8th, the 10thAnniversary Celebration of International Culture Exchange School of Tongji University and the 3rdAcademic Forum was held in the Conference Hall of Yifu Building. Zhao Qizheng, the Member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC, Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and former Minister of the State Council Information Office of China, Ma Jianfei, Deputy Director of theOfficeof Chinese Language Council International, Zhou Jialun, Secretary of the University Party Committee, Ma Jinming the Vice-Secretary and Zhu Shaozhong, Secretary of Donghua University Party Committee, etc. attended the celebration. Nearly 400 experts, scholars, teachers and students from other colleges and universities were present. Cai Jianguo, Dean of Tongji International Culture Exchange School presided over the forum.
It was known that Tongji University started Chinese course for foreigners from 70s in the last century. In 1987, the University offered Chinese short course. In 1998, Tongji International Culture Exchange School was found. From 2002, undergraduate international students majoring in Chinese enrolled at the school and the first students graduated in July 2006. At the present time, Tongji had comparatively integrated academic and non-academic Chinese educational system. Hundreds of international students from more than 40 countries were studying Chinese in Tongji and nearly one hundred of them were undergraduates. Tongji International Culture Exchange School had established 4 Confucius Institutes together with Obirin University, RitsumeikanUniversityandChinesisches Zentrum, Hannover E.V, etc.
