Beyond exotic calligraphy?

The study of China in Africa and in Europe today scratches only the surface of its full potentiality, both in terms of depth and in its ability to unlock the knowledge-integration opportunities on offer. Personally, I met China through Africa and was privileged to witness firsthand, the velocity and depth of its impact in a whole continent when I was living and working in South Africa at the Centre for Chinese Studies in Stellenbosch University.

Below is a discussion over the present and future of two broad “types” of China Knowledge Centres (CKCs): Confucius Institutes and “SOAS-like”.

Confucius Institutes – More than “China’s British Council”?

Confucius Institutes (CIs) first came about in 2004 and seek primarily to develop and facilitate Chinese language teaching overseas, while in fact, many of them go beyond this activity, actively engaging in research on China affairs as well as a wide range of Chinese culture dissemination affairs.

By June 2009 there were 282 Confucius Institutes, established in 83 countries around the world. CIs are China’s version of the ‘British Council’ or France’s ‘Alliance Française’, soft-power vehicles that project country’s culture around the world. They present a range of opportunities for countries and universities to rise up to the emergence of China as a global power. So far, Confucius Institutes remain ‘imperfectly oiled vehicles’ that, unsurprisingly, still need to be steered and geared towards prolific work and focused objectives. Since 2004, Confucius Institutes have sprung up all around the world, with varying degrees of success.

SOAS-like – Adjusting academic traditions to a fast-changing reality

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has been, since 1916, a reference in the study of Asia in general and China in particular. It embodies old practices in the study of the subject and a tradition of academic study by excellence. There is a wide range of similar institutions and schools that emulate its ‘model’, particularly around Europe and the United States.

Some of the institutions following this ‘model’ also complement their offer with language-based modules, and many of them have deep historical and political roots. Sometimes they are not fully able to offer an overview of China in its full complexity and provide comprehensive tools to navigate the diverse terrains of China’s engagement.
 
The dynamics of studying China vary greatly across different geographical locations

In Portugal for instance, universities have sometimes an overly historical tendency and are somewhat overly focused in the past. They need to better embrace and foster innovation in CKCs. One must remember that the ‘boom’ in interest and the CI initiative is a direct result of the fast-paced rise of China’s impact in the world, spurred on by unprecedented economic growth. China-related centers need therefore to be intelligent in riding the wave of interest, if they want to capture their opportunity; they need to effectively cater for the demands of this rising ‘wave’. Not just simply look out for local demand in learning about China but also, and most importantly, effectively meet China’s needs for ‘custom-made’ communication and a focused information platforms. 
 
In the United Kingdom and Netherlands in turn, there is an established study of China and Asia. Over here, some of the institutions can be at times slow-moving, heavy organizations with old cemented traditions in the field which are now trying to adapt to the pace of change. Some of the old structures studying China are still sometimes caught by surprise by the swiftness of transformation of China affairs and are now trying to adapt their focuses accordingly. In these cases the study of China needs to go beyond traditional structures and the teaching of history, philosophy, language and calligraphy. Even studying only Chinese language is limited. One needs to embrace the complexity and nuances of China’s international relations, its home reality, its business engagement, its urban pop-art, architecture, and its very own growing demand for international cultural and educational “goods”, experiences and inter-relations. 
 
South Africa’s China Knowledge Centres, as many of those springing up in the continent, are dynamic and fresh, being defined as we speak, still looking for better-defined objectives and a well-oriented strategy and development model. Still, in Africa, despite China’s emerging engagement, there are many countries which represent unexplored frontiers, filled with a vast array of possibilities and potentialities for CKCs, mostly waited to be shaped and initiated.
 
Trend is for China Knowledge Centres to develop and improve in emerging markets

The trend today if for CKCs to start going beyond Europe and shift their gravitational axis to emerging, fast-developing countries, going where the inroads of China’s economic strategy is growing the quickest. The tendency is also for their work to go much beyond academic research and history.

Noteworthy is also the learning curve of Chinese staff going overseas to teach and work at CKCs. There are various educational cultural barriers, not just language ones, that have to be overcome first, in order for quality teaching to be carried out and this has been achieved with moderate success. CKCs need to go much beyond teaching Chinese, they need to be pro-active and have the room to compete between them when it comes to offering the best insight into China - they have to be creative.

As for the general profile of students, they generally come from all backgrounds and ages but many of them are drawn to the exotic component and attraction of Chinese culture while others are looking at the study of China in a business angle, often it is a combination of both.  
 
Conclusion – CKCs should seek to inform and positively influence policy-making

The objectives should be for CKCs to become interactive “squeaky-clean windows” between China and local environment of these centres, allowing for mutual observation, communication and awareness of each others’ place and actions in the world. 

Interest will keep varying according to the degree of China’s economic and diplomatic impact on a specific area. Investment and business initiatives create a natural demand for people who can intermediate and operate comfortably within both cultural and language frameworks. 

Beyond this window between different worlds, CKCs should be attentive, and create the links between knowledge and policy-making, looking to directly affect and shape action. They cannot just be suppliers of new pages to ‘dusty’ and mysterious libraries, they need to be dynamic and their work mass-communicated in a smart, practical way. More than offering individual courses on China, CKCs should be promoting observation and communication exercises about the movements and ’whereabouts’ of China at home and in the world.  

CKCs need to be solid, reliable, fast-reacting “bridge-builders” between China and their local context while simultaneously capturing the new “thirst” of Chinese people for internationalization, offering competitive and technically suited solutions, training programs and higher education opportunities. Despite the complexity of the study-object, one must always remember that sensitivity and awareness of China affairs, not just language ability, can be a decisive competitive component that should be mastered and is a strong asset in anyone’s CV.