On April 11, the "International Chinese Language Day" and the 10th anniversary celebration of the cooperation between Popovo Municipality and the Confucius Institute at Veliko Tarnovo University were held grandly in Popovo. Yang Tian, head of education affairs of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria; Stoyan Popvelichkov, Vice Chairman of Popovo Municipality Council; Miglna Komitova, Director of the Education Department in Popovo Municipality; Iskra Mandova, Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute at Veliko Tarnovo University; and Dong Yuanxing, the Chinese Director; and other guests attended the celebration together with hundreds of citizens.
In his speech, Mr. Yang Tian reviewed the development process of Chinese education in Popovo from scratch to continuous growth, and expressed his gratitude to the Popovo Municipal Government for its consistent policy support for ten years, the selfless dedication of the teachers of the Confucius Institute, and the trust and investment of the students' parents. He pointed out that language is the bond of civilization, and the cooperation between Popovo and the Confucius Institute is a successful practice of cultural exchanges between China and Bulgaria. He promised that the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria will continue to support local Chinese education and promote the deepening of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of culture and education.
The celebration party started with a lively performance of ribbon dragons by the Confucius Classroom of Vasily Levski Secondary School in Ruse. Afterwards, children learning Chinese in primary and secondary schools and kindergartens in Popovo presented colorful Chinese songs, dances and poetry recitations. Teachers and students of the Confucius Institute at Veliko Tarnovo University brought wonderful performances of Chinese martial arts, dances and folk musical instruments. The local ballet troupe in Popovo also performed enthusiastically. The venue was packed, and the more than one-hour concert allowed the audience to enjoy an audio-visual feast full of Chinese cultural elements.
Earlier in that afternoon, teachers and students of the Confucius Institute also held a Chinese cultural workshop on site, including calligraphy, paper cutting, and Hanfu try-on, giving local people the opportunity to get their hands dirty and experience the charm of Chinese culture firsthand.