China goes global with Confucius

BEIJING - Confucius say ... spread Chinese culture around the world and teach Confucian philosophy at home. And don't be afraid to mention my name as branding while you're at it.

Confucius, the respectful name for the great thinker and statesman named Kong Qiu, who lived from 551-479 BC, is undergoing a major revival in China, and further afield.

In China he's particularly renowned for revolutionising the education system - and, with this in mind, the Government hopes to build on international interest in Chinese language and culture by opening 80 Confucius Institutes in 39 countries.

With 30 million people already learning Chinese worldwide, including two million in Japan, the Confucius Institutes will hope to meet the huge demand for Chinese learning overseas, State Councillor Chen Zhili told 400 delegates at a Confucius Institute conference in the capital.

The number learning Chinese abroad is forecast to rise to 100 million by 2010 and the plan is to set up 100 Confucius Institutes by then. The US has 11 institutes. A further 99 institutions from 38 countries have applied to set up Confucius Institutes.

China is certainly growing more international. Last year, there were more than half a million foreign investment companies launched in China, while more than 30,000 Chinese companies branched out overseas.

Yet the rise of consumerism in the world's fastest growing economy has seen many traditional Confucian values of honour and decency slip away in favour of self-serving behaviour, something the Communist Party wants to control with Confucian morals.

- INDEPENDENT