Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) has been a trailblazer in the global Confucius Institute initiative since 2005. To date, BFSU has partnered to establish 24 Confucius Institutes across 19 countries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas—more than any other university in China. Seven of these have been designated as Global Model Confucius Institutes. Driven by a mission to bridge cultures through languages, BFSU is dedicated to cultivating well-rounded professionals with a strong sense of national identity, a global perspective, and deep disciplinary expertise, fostering mutual understanding between China and the world.
Established in May 2007, the Office of Confucius Institutes at BFSU was the first such office in China. It oversees the management and operations of all Confucius Institutes co-hosted by BFSU, with responsibilities spanning day-to-day liaison and coordination, the development and implementation of regulations, personnel training, selection, and deployment, program development and implementation, and deliberation on operational models and policy-oriented research.
Since its inception, the Office has sent over 1,000 Chinese directors, international Chinese language teachers, and volunteers to BFSU’s co-hosted Confucius Institutes and other international Chinese language programs. We have also hosted hundreds of educational tours to China for foreign students and educators, welcoming over 10,000 visitors. Our annual Scholars Forum for BFSU Co-hosted Confucius Institutes brings together partners from around the world, serving as a vital platform for networking, collaboration, and knowledge exchange across our partner institutions.
In 2025 alone, our global network of Confucius Institutes enrolled 37,255 students. Collectively, they hosted 145 academic events and 872 cultural activities reaching an audience of 204,266 people. Additionally, 12,711 candidates took Chinese language proficiency tests. Through a rich portfolio of language courses and cultural programs, these institutes serve as vibrant local hubs for learning the Chinese language, exploring China’s rich cultural heritage, and deepening insights into contemporary China.
Our global network comprises 23 Confucius Institutes and one independent Confucius Classroom, listed in order of inauguration:
Confucius Institute at Nürnberg-Erlangen (Germany), Confucius Institute in Brussels (Belgium), Confucius Institute at the University of Vienna (Austria), Confucius Institute at Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), Confucius Institute in Kraków (Poland), Confucius Institute in Liège (Belgium), Confucius Institute at Düsseldorf (Germany), Confucius Institute at Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary), Confucius Institute in Sofia (Bulgaria), Confucius Institute in Olomouc (Czech Republic), Confucius Institute Munich (Germany), Kong Zi Institute, Universiti Malaya (Malaysia), Confucius Institute at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Republic of Korea), Fundació Institut Confuci de Barcelona (Spain), Confucius Institute at Moscow State Linguistic University (Russia), Confucius Institute at Zayed University (UAE), Confucius Institute at the University of Tirana (Albania), Academic Confucius Institute Göttingen (Germany), Confucius Institute at Oxford Brookes University (UK), Confucius Institute at the University of Colombo (Sri Lanka), Business Confucius Institute at ESCP EUROPE (France), Maryknoll School Confucius Classroom (USA), Online Confucius Institute at The Open University (UK), and the Confucius Institute at the Federal University of Latin American Integration (Brazil).
