SCUT’s third Confucius Institute, the Audi Confucius Institute Ingolstadt (Audi Konfuzius Institut Ingolstadt, AKII), celebrated its official opening on May 23 in Ingolstadt, Germany.
The institute was co-established by SCUT, the Audi AG, the municipal government of Ingolstadt and the University of Applied Sciences Ingolstadt (Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, THI). It is the world’s first Confucius Institute that involves a multinational enterprise as a main sponsor.
The ceremony was jointly presided by the institute’s German Director Dr. Peter Augsdörfer and Chinese Director Dr. Wang Yujing. Distinguished guests included Dr. Christian Lösel, Lord Mayor of Ingolstadt, Ms. Mao Jingqiu, Chinese Consul-General in Munich, Dr. Dietmar Voggenreiter, Audi’s board member for sales and marketing, and Dr. Walter Schober, THI’s President. Those who were present also included division heads of SCUT, directors of other Confucius Institutes in Germany, representatives of the local Chinese people, the local community and the media.
A series of cultural activities were held on the opening day, including performances and lectures on the tea ceremony, calligraphy, painting, and the traditional Chinese medicine. A lion dance show, performed by a troupe from Foshan, China, was also featured at the Ingolstadt’s Town Hall Square.
The events attracted broad attention from the mainstream media in China and Europe, including China Central Television (CCTV), China Radio International (CRI), Xinhua News, and China Minutes.
On the afternoon of the day, the institute convened a board meeting to make plans for the next stage of the cooperative program. Representatives of SCUT and THI also reached preliminary agreement on carrying out the 3+1 student exchange program and the joint graduate program in mechanical and automotive engineering.
The establishment of the Audi Confucius Institute Ingolstadt was confirmed in June 2016, when the agreement was signed at the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) in Beijing. Named after the Audi AG, a world-famous automobile brand with its headquarters in Ingolstadt, the institute offers a broad variety of Chinese courses and cultural events to local people, and besides this classic mission of a Confucius Institute, it also promotes China-Germany collaboration with regard to technology, innovation, sustainability and management.
Sources from the Audi Confucius Institute Ingolstadt and the Office of Confucius Institutes
Translated and compiled by Xu PeimuEdited by Xu Peimu
