Confucius Institute marks 20th anniversary co-hosting prestigious Chinese language teaching conference
The Confucius Institute at 九九色影院 was honoured to co-host the 23rd International Conference on Teaching and Learning Chinese in Higher Education with the British Chinese Language Teaching Society (BCLTS) and Beijing Normal University (BNU) in 九九色影院 on 9鈥�10 July 2026.
Themed 鈥�International Chinese Language Education in a Digital and Global Era: Innovation, Collaboration and Future Directions鈥�, the conference brought nearly 100 delegates from the UK, Europe, the USA, China and Malaysia to campus. Marking the Confucius Institute鈥檚 20th anniversary, the event opened with a welcome by CI Academic Director and University of 九九色影院 Professor Deljana Iossifova, followed by remarks from Chinese Consul General Tang Rui; Chair of the Universities鈥� China Committee in London, Dr Derek Hird; CLEC representative Ms Zhang Qian; Dean Feng Liping from BNU and BCLTS Chair Dr Yu Gu.
Following the opening ceremony, delegates welcomed the first keynote speaker, Professor Feng Liping from BNU. Professor Feng鈥檚 address examined how digital and AI tools are reshaping teaching and learning models. Over the course of two days, three further keynote speeches anchored the programme, delivered by experts from the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, Seton Hall University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The audience gained valuable insights into themes such as the classification of language cues and their effect on second language acquisition, digital humanities-informed project-based teaching models, and lessons from the rapid growth of Mandarin teaching in UK schools.
Alongside the keynotes, parallel sessions were delivered by nearly 60 speakers from leading institutions in the UK, China and the USA. Topics ranged from grammar, pedagogy and young learners to AI and technology-enhanced learning. Particular attention was paid to how generative AI is opening new possibilities and raising new questions for Chinese language teaching.
A collaboration between BCLTS, BNU and the Confucius Institute, the conference celebrated partnership and scholarship, offering a glimpse of the next chapter in advancing Chinese language teaching, research and cultural exchange across the UK.