Founded on December 6, 2006, Confucius Institute at Dusseldorf was jointly established by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf (HHU) and the municipal government of Dusseldorf. Located in the prosperous and populous northern Rhine-Ruhr region, it is the third Confucius Institute in Germany and the first one in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Dusseldorf Confucius College is exempt from part taxes as it was legally established as a registered association.

Confucius Institute at Dusseldorf adopts advanced textbooks and provides students of different Chinese proficiency with appropriate Chinese language courses of various levels, including elementary Chinese, intermediate Chinese, business Chinese, Chinese characters lessons and calligraphy lessons. There are three semesters in a school year and each semester lasts for about 12 weeks. Every lesson takes 90 minutes (or 2 class hours). In 2014, Confucius Institute at Dusseldorf offered 54 regular courses for 581 students, which ranged from elementary and middle school students, college students, to working staff and retired people. 321 of them studied at Confucius Institute and the rest at HHU. Confucius Institute also initiated the “Chinese Certificate” program, which encompasses lectures on Chinese culture and economy, Chinese language, cultural training and other comprehensive credit courses for college students.

Apart from diversified courses for individual learners, Confucius Institute also offers cross-cultural training for German enterprises and organizations. It also provides political advices and serves as a bridge for both sides when the German Government sends visiting groups to China, when German enterprises explore the Chinese market or when the Chinese companies start businesses in Germany. It has provided services for the state government of Nordrhein-Westfalen, the municipal government of Dusseldorf, Johnson Controls, Inc., Huawei, etc.

Confucius Institute at Dusseldorf takes pride in an outstanding open-shelves library, with a collection of Chinese textbooks, books on Chinese literature, dictionaries and other reference books. The library is managed by full-time workers. It provides remote searching services and also lends books to readers who are not students of Confucius Institute.

Confucius Institute has been organizing HSK since 2009. In 2014, six examinations were held in the Confucius Institute. Among these six examinations, HSK attracted 214 test takers, HSKK 31 test takers and YCT 11 test takers. The participants came from Dusseldorf, other cities in Nordrhein-Westfalen and even other states.

Confucius Institute is the sponsor, co-sponsor or organizer of various annual cultural activities. Dusseldorf China Day, Cologne China Day, Nordrhein-Westfalen Elementary and Middle School Chinese Innovation Match, and World Fairy Tale Week have become traditional festivals of Confucius Institute. Throughout the whole year, lectures on literature, arts, philosophy, history, and economics, exhibitions on calligraphy, Chinese painting, photography and movies as well as ethnic music performance and diverse celebration galas are constantly held.

Confucius Institute attaches great importance to academic studies and scientific researches by holding lectures on sinology and scholar forums at irregular intervals. Confucius Institute, together with the University of Bonn, proposed the first fund application for holing conferences on Confucius China Studies Program. It has successfully organized two conferences with funds from the program. Through the study project of Europe-Asia Science and Technology Transfer, Confucius Institute at Dusseldorf is working closely with renowned organizations and focuses on promoting the programs of exchange and cooperation among students and young scholars to realize the purpose of Confucius China Studies Program.

Features of Confucius Institute at Dusseldorf include:

Firstly, the cooperation between Confucius Institute and the municipal government of Dusseldorf (capital of Nordrhein-Westfalen) brings the Institute more support from the authorities. Consequently, Confucius Institute boasts exclusive offices and classrooms in the CBD area of the city. In addition, such a kind of support makes it possible to conduct teaching, and high-end communications such as cultural exchange in the city or even among the whole Nordrhein-Westfalen. The municipal government of Dusseldorf directly benefits from as well as actively publicizes their training service of consultation of China.

Secondly, located in the hinterland of Rhine-Ruhr region, the most prosperous area in Germany, Dusseldorf is home to numerous German companies of high reputation and is a magnet for Chinese enterprises. As China and Germany are carrying out increasingly frequent and serious exchanges in the fields of business, finance, science, technology, media as well as law, the influx of Chinese investment into Dusseldorf has already exceeded that in London. In a field where the target customers are successful businessmen, the Confucius Institute will give full play to its advantages by offering political and legal consulting, training on business Chinese, lectures on culture and national conditions, introducing investment promotions, etc. Confucius Institute is thus facing limitless opportunities in the business-related field.

Thirdly, Confucius Institute receives support from HHU, yet it is not affiliated to any faculties at HHU. Consequently, when it carries out academic exchanges and activities, Confucius Institute on the one hand obtains resources and support from HHU; and, on the other hand, enjoys the freedom of developing according to its own principles. Confucius Institute has established partnership with nearly 30 governments, business organizations, as well as academic and cultural institutes.

On March 29, 2014 Chinese President Xi Jinping paid state visit to Germany and attended a forum with German Sinologists, as well as faculty and student representatives from the Confucius Institute. Dr. Cord Eberspaecher, Dean of Confucius Institute was invited to attend the forum, and delivered a speech on the spread of traditional Chinese culture. He put emphasis on the importance of the Confucius Institute. President Xi took notes and responded positively, expressing that Confucius Institute would continue to obtain support for its development.

The goal of Confucius Institute at Dusseldorf is to become a friendship bridge between China and Germany, with Chinese language teaching as its base, cross-cultural training as its main feature, and facilitating academic and businesses exchanges as its direction.

Address: Konfuzius-Institut Düsseldorf Graf-Adolf-Str. 63  40210 Düsseldorf  Germany

Contacts: Cord Eberspaecher , German Director; Deng Xiaojing , Chinese Director

E-mail: info@konfuzius-duesseldorf.de

Tel: +49-211-4162-8540

Fax: +49-211-4162-8569

(As of December 31, 2014)