FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF ST. PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY

S. V. KRIVOKHIZH

Candidate of Historical Sciences

Saint Petersburg State University

Key words: Confucius Institute, St. Petersburg State University Confucius Institute, soft power, Chinese foreign policy, cultural diplomacy

At the 10th Conference of Confucius Institutes (IC), held in Shanghai in December 2015, it was officially announced that, as of December ¹, 2015, 500 Confucius institutes and 1,000 Confucius classes were open and functioning in 134 countries1.

Given the scale of IC activities around the world, the expert community is faced with the need to assess this phenomenon of modern China's foreign policy. In particular, discussions are still ongoing around one of the most pressing issues: whether this organization mainly pursues educational goals or is primarily an instrument of China's influence on the foreign public.

There are 20 such institutes operating in various cities of Russia. One of the first was the Confucius Institute, which was opened in 2007 at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of St. Petersburg State University (SPbU). The main activity of the Institute at St. Petersburg State University is to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between China and Russia by spreading information about the culture, language, economy and social life of China. Important aspects of the Confucius Institute's activities include organizing Chinese language and culture courses, conducting Chinese language testing, organizing internships in China, conducting competitions, and promoting Sinological research.

The experience of EC activities at St. Petersburg State University allows us to draw some preliminary conclusions. But first, let's look at the question of what is the Confucius Institute.

In October 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping personally attended the opening of the 1000th Confucius Class on the island of Jersey (a territory that is part of the crown domain of Great Britain). Initially approved in 2004 by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the plan for the dissemination of the Chinese language abroad for 2003-2007.², one of the points of which was the creation of an EC, implied the introduction of a number of measures for standardization and more efficient management of language projects around the world. As part of this initiative, the first institute was established in Seoul (South Korea) in 2004, and in 2007 the Board of Directors of the Confucius Institute was established, which included representatives of the Chinese side and heads of foreign institutions. In the program's eleven years of operation, China has managed to open more educational centers than the British Council, the Goethe Institute, and the Cervantes Institut3 combined in more than half a century.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Choosing the name of Confucius, one of the most important Chinese philosophers of antiquity, who, however, was in disgrace for a long time after the formation of the PRC, undoubtedly became a thoughtful and successful political move that logically fits into the policy of the modern leadership of the PRC to revive interest in traditional Chinese culture.

Russian orientalist A.V. Allabert, having studied and systematized the discussions of Chinese scholars on the role of Confucianism in modernizing modern China, identified the following important trends: ⁴ Thus, many elements of Confucianism, with certain modifications, are used in the political practice of modern China, and its indissolubility with the fundamental values of Chinese civilization, such as flexibility and the ability to update, focus on strengthening the values of the Chinese people.-

The ability to effectively exercise control over society, smoothing out social contradictions, is considered as a spiritual core that can unite the country in the era of globalization.

In addition, the image of Confucius was also advantageous in terms of attracting the sympathies of" non-mainland " Chinese as the most neutral. Finally, the appeal to Confucianism is logical within the framework of the Chinese leadership's promotion of the theory of a" harmonious world", which is based on the traditional Confucian attitude of"harmony of the diverse and dissimilar". Thus, we can conclude that the CCP has managed to show flexibility, combine socialist values with the country's centuries-old cultural tradition, and create a successful international brand.

The main mission of the Confucius Institute is defined in the Charter of the organization - "establishing friendly relations with other countries and deepening the understanding of Chinese culture and language among Chinese language learners" ⁵.

In addition to the actual Chinese language courses, the organization trains Chinese language teachers and improves their skills. Under its auspices, Chinese language proficiency tests are conducted. In addition, the IC supports scientific research in the field of Chinese studies, supports the organization and conduct of various events aimed at promoting Chinese culture, and provides advice on various issues related to China.

In order to reach the largest possible audience, the Confucius Institute appeared on the Internet in 2006. On the official website of the organization, which is available in 7 languages (including Russian), anyone can find materials on the Chinese language and culture, and independently study the language online.

An important issue that always arouses the interest of researchers is the financing of the project. A 2014 report by the Hanban (State Office for the Dissemination of Chinese Abroad) ⁶ indicates that $300.2 million was allocated to the Confucius Institute project this year. (the amount includes both supporting the work of ECS around the world, as well as grants, expenses for cultural events, etc.), which is less than the expenses of similar organizations in other countries (for comparison, the British Council spends about 873 million f. st. a year (more than $1 billion)⁷. Such rather modest costs can be explained by the fact that, unlike organizations of similar tasks in other countries, the Confucius Institute is focused on working in cooperation with foreign educational institutions.

Partner universities are offered a choice of three options for cooperation: 1) fully managed by the EC Headquarters; 2) fully managed by the host party under a license from the EC Headquarters; 3) managed jointly by partner universities from China and the host country under the direction of the EC Headquarters.

The third scheme is most popular, which gives the Chinese side a number of advantages.

First, the distribution of costs between partners significantly reduces the costs of the Chinese side. Secondly, for Chinese universities, such joint initiatives are a good opportunity to establish close ties with leading foreign universities in order to attract foreign students to study in China, invite outstanding professors to give guest lectures, and implement joint research projects. This aspect is important from the point of view of implementing the tasks of bringing Chinese universities to the world level and involving China in global scientific processes in the areas outlined in the plan for the development of science and technology for 2006-2020. ⁸

PRINCIPLES OF THE CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE AT St. PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY

The Confucius Institute at St. Petersburg State University also operates under the third scheme. Beijing Normal University, one of the largest centers for teaching Chinese to foreigners in China, has become a partner of St. Petersburg State University. Since in Russia an EC is legally registered as an educational program or a structural division of a university, there is no new legal entity. Thus, the authorized capital of an IC is not formed and its activities are not controlled ⁹.

A number of Russian researchers studying the activities of Confucius Institutes in Russia note that due to such a scheme of organizing ECS and due to the lack of a regulatory framework that would regulate the activities of such entities in Russian universities, a number of contradictions with Russian legislation arise. For example, the practice of joint management of the Russian and Chinese sides contradicts the requirements for the management of the Confucius Institute as a structural division of a Russian university.¹⁰

In addition, since language teaching programs in EC courses do not undergo a formal licensing procedure, this does not allow monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching in accordance with the established procedure. ¹¹ To resolve this contradiction, St. Petersburg State University has developed a scheme in which a Chinese director is accepted for any teaching position at the Eastern Faculty of St. Petersburg State University and has a teaching load proportional to the rate occupied.

Regarding the issue of quality control of services provided, a number of studies12 criticize the point about the choice of materials for teaching in Institutes, which is contained in the document "Standard Model of the Confucius Institute", posted on the Hanban website. It states that all Institutes should use a unified set of materials provided by the head office ⁱⁿ their work13, which, according to researchers, restricts the academic freedom of teachers. At the same time, the low efficiency of teaching materials provided by Hanban for Russian universities is noted, since they are designed for Korean and Japanese students and do not take into account the specifics of teaching the language for Russian speakers.¹⁴

However, if you study the document in more detail, you can see that it also contains a clause stating that the teacher has the right to independently select and compose additional materials if this is necessary to improve teaching results. The fact that this clause really works is confirmed in practice. So, for the Confucius Institute at St. Petersburg State University, the problem of the quality of teaching in courses does not arise in principle, since the curriculum of language courses is developed by teachers of the Faculty of Oriental Studies and passes all the necessary approval procedures at the university.

According to D. I. Mayatsky, Deputy Director of the EC at St. Petersburg State University, Ph. D., Hanban never intervenes and does not control the educational process, and does not require approval of programs. On the contrary, it encourages and encourages bentihua (regional adaptation) - the development and publication of textbooks suitable for Russian-speaking learners.¹⁵ Among the major projects of recent years, one can single out, for example, "New Horizons: an integral course in Chinese" by the RSUH team of authors or "New Start", prepared at the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU).

As for discussions about the propagandistic nature of textbooks published by Hanban, according to the Director of the EC at St. Petersburg State University, PhD A. A. Rodionov, such concerns are greatly exaggerated. Of course, since learning any language also involves getting acquainted with the culture of a given country, its specifics and the realities of life, Chinese textbooks cover various aspects of the cultural life of the PRC, model standard communication situations, which is a global practice, and not an invention of Hanban. "Fundamentals of the Chinese Language" 1980) the propaganda component was much more pronounced ¹⁶.

The second important aspect of the EC's activities, in addition to language teaching, is holding various cultural events that allow foreigners to get acquainted with the traditional and modern culture of China. So, famous Chinese artists and scientists give guest lectures, master classes and celebrations of Chinese holidays are held. Recent events held under the auspices of the St. Petersburg State University EC include the presentation of a collection of aphorisms and paintings by the famous Chinese artist, writer and fighter for the preservation of cultural heritage Feng Jicai, which took place in 2014, and a public lecture and master class on the topic "Lingnan Culture", about traditional crafts of Southern China in 2013.

Cooperation in the theater line is developing. In 2014, the Beijing People's Art Theater Company was invited to participate in the Baltic House Festival with the play "Our Jing Ke" based on the play

Winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, Mo Yan. The success of the first experience of theatrical cooperation became an incentive for continuing cooperation along this line. The Guangzhou Theater took part in the 2015 Baltic House Festival with the play "Resurrection" based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy. It is obvious that thanks to the Institute's activities, the number of public events related to China is gradually increasing in St. Petersburg, which allows us to satisfy the growing interest of the city's residents in this country.

CRITICISM OF CONFUCIUS ' INSTITUTIONS

One of the controversial points in the work of the EC is that, while positioning itself as a non-governmental organization, the Confucius Institute, nevertheless, is organizationally and financially connected with the Government of the People's Republic of China. Researcher at Durham University (UK) Don Starr, studying similar structures around the world, found out that most of them are fully or partially sponsored by the state, ¹⁷ and, in one way or another, are connected with the leadership of the country whose interests they represent.

At the same time, it is well known that the Chinese political system is characterized by such a phenomenon as jianren (combining positions), as a result of which the main leadership positions in the government are occupied by influential members of the CCP. Thus, in addition to the fact that the Confucius Institute's Board of Directors is an organizational structure under the auspices of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and consists of state officials of various levels, many of them simultaneously hold senior positions in the party. Thus, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of IC Liu Yandong is also a Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee. The lack of transparency of governance mechanisms in general and the inability to assess the role of the CCP in decision-making regarding the activities of Confucius Institutes is a matter of serious concern for foreign partners and often becomes a reason for criticism of this organization.¹⁸

The assumption that the CCP controls the activities of the EC puts on the agenda a fundamental question for Western society about academic freedoms and the likelihood of their violation in universities that cooperate with Institutions. In particular, a number of authors believe that through the Confucius Institutes, the Chinese government is trying to impose on foreign universities a Chinese vision of such painful topics as the Taiwan issue, the activities of the Dalai Lama XIV or the problem of Falun Gong ¹⁹*. If you refer to the EC Charter, the official document regulating the activities of this structure, you can see that the activities of each EC: a) should not contradict the laws and regulations of the country in which it is located; b) respect local cultural and educational traditions and social foundations; and c) do not contradict the laws of the PRC (Part 1, paragraph 6).

Thus, no prohibitions are explicitly stipulated in the charter, but the need to "not contradict the laws of the PRC" is often interpreted as the inability to discuss topics that are inconvenient for China or invite figures who are persona non grata in the PRC. So, high-profile scandals were associated with the cancellation of lectures by the Dalai Lama XIV at the University of North Carolina (USA) in 2009 and the transfer of his speech at the University of Sydney to another venue in 2013. However, in 2010, the Dalai Lama XIV gave lectures at Stanford University and the University of Miami (Ohio), despite the fact that that both universities cooperate with the Confucius Institute. This suggests that it is possible that the cancellation of potentially objectionable events in Beijing is not so much censorship on the part of the EC leadership as self-censorship of host universities.

A study of the experience of EC at St. Petersburg State University shows that, indeed, all scientific projects under the auspices of the Institute are primarily related to language or culture and do not touch on political issues. For example, with the support of the Confucius Institute, St. Petersburg State University hosts the conference "Problems of Far Eastern Literatures" every two years, which is the largest scientific platform in Europe and the world.

* Falun Gong (Chinese: "spiritual energy of the Wheel of Law") is a new religious movement, as defined by Russian sinologists. Falun Gong originated in the early 1990s in China on the basis of traditional Chinese qigong gymnastics combined with elements of Buddhism, Taoism and folk beliefs.

In the People's Republic of China, Falun Gong is banned as a "heretical teaching", according to the decree banning the Falun Gong Society of 22.07.1999 (ed.).

post-Soviet space on the study of literature in East and South-East Asia. Each conference is dedicated to the anniversary of an outstanding literary figure and is held jointly with a leading foreign university or scientific organization. In particular, the partners of St. Petersburg State University were Wuhan University, Fudan University, the International Society for the Study of Guo Mojo, the Guo Mojo Museum of the Academy of Social Sciences of the People's Republic of China, and the Chinese Society for the Study of Lao She.

Publishing activities are actively developing: thanks to the IC's sponsorship, classical works of Russian Sinologists are being reprinted, monographs of faculty members are being published, and translations of modern Chinese literature are being carried out and published. A major project in the field of literature is the series "Chinese Literature of the XX-XXI centuries", which translates and publishes works by contemporary Chinese authors. In 2015, the fifth book in the series, "Double Pupil", was published, which included works by Anhui writers. Also noteworthy is the joint library project of the Faculty of Oriental Studies of St. Petersburg State University and the Confucius Institute, which catalogues handwritten books and woodcuts from the collection of the Eastern Department of the St. Petersburg State University Scientific Library. Gorky St. Petersburg State University, published before 1900, and a description of the collection of pictures of the late XIX century from the library's collections. These projects served as an incentive for expanding bilateral academic cooperation in the field of book science and librarianship.

According to the leaders of the Confucius Institute at St. Petersburg State University, since the IC is an organization that aims to spread the language and get acquainted with the culture of China, it is incorrect to go beyond these areas of research. The fact that St. Petersburg State University is a host university does not prevent the Confucius Institute from studying political issues in the Eastern or other faculties, but it can hardly be expected that it will become a sponsor of such a project. A. A. Rodionov is sure that such a position is logical and dictated not by censorship considerations, but by common sense ²⁰. By the way, the ban on maintaining any ties with Paiwan is also not confirmed in practice, which is noted by some researchers ²¹. In 2008, the Taiwanese TOP language proficiency test was held at the St. Petersburg State University Faculty of Philosophy. Among the internship options for students and teachers of St. Petersburg State University are Taiwanese universities (National Zhengzhi University, National Taiwan University).

The personnel policy of the EC is also often criticized. For example, the 2011 requirements for Chinese language teachers who go to foreign Confucius institutes as part of a volunteer program stated that the applicant cannot be a member of Falun Gong or other organizations prohibited ^by law22. In this regard, the IC was involved in another scandal due to the complaint of a teacher, a Falun Gong practitioner, about discrimination on religious grounds, which led to the closure of the IC at McMaster University (Canada). By the way, the Falun Gong clause was subsequently removed from the list of requirements for teachers.

In general, Hanban does not affect the personnel policy of the Institute in any way: there are no teachers from China at the courses, and the educational process is provided by specialists of the Faculty of Oriental Studies. Thus, we can conclude that the teaching staff can be selected by the host university, and the quality and effectiveness of teaching Chinese within the Confucius Institute can be monitored and maintained at a high level if the university has its own specialists. On the other hand, it is quite possible that for universities that do not have a corresponding scientific school, this may be problematic.

Western researchers see political implications even in the use of Putonghu, the official, standardized Chinese language and simplified forms of characters that are used in mainland China, for teaching. This discriminates against other dialects, and ignores the full forms of characters that are used, for example, in Hong Kong and Taiwan.²³

Other claims include repeated accusations of industrial espionage, ²⁴ which, however, have never been confirmed by real facts. As for the claims that the supervisory authorities of the Russian Federation periodically make against the EC, it seems fair to say that the director of the Confucius Institute of the Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University, N. Kukharenko, rather points to the gaps in the actual Russian legislation and the need to clearly define the status of foreign language and cultural centers on the territory of Russia25.

TRUST, BUT VERIFY?

Despite criticism of the Confucius Institutes, most of the scientific research on this organization, including case studies* of specific universities around the world, confirms that Confucius Institutes are primarily organizations focused on the dissemination of the Chinese language and culture in foreign countries ²⁶. Leaders of the PRC attribute the popularity of the language to the development of the Chinese language. the country's status on the world stage and its attractiveness to foreigners.

It is believed that the increase in the number of people who speak or at least learn Chinese, in fact, is an indicator of an increase in the number of Chinese speakers.

* Case-Study - a detailed study of a particular case (editor's note).

China's "soft" power. For example, the recent election of Kevin Rudd, a man who speaks fluent Chinese, as Australian Prime Minister, has stimulated discussion about the possibility of internationalization of the Chinese language.²⁷

A separate issue is the ability of ECS to form a discourse on various aspects of China's domestic and foreign policy within partner universities. This possibility is often greatly exaggerated, especially if the university has its own scientific school of Chinese studies.

If it is necessary to discuss pressing issues of Chinese policy, researchers do so under the auspices of the relevant department of the university, but not the EC. Some interviewees even pointed out that they are more likely to be bound by various restrictions imposed by their university (for example, local academic programs in Chinese studies, research priorities of the university, etc.) in their activities within the EC, rather than by the intervention of Hanban ²⁸.

At the same time, it is worth noting that universities without Sinology programs are in a more vulnerable position. In the face of increasing demand for Chinese studies, some of them are introducing relevant courses to the core curriculum, which have to be provided with teachers and materials provided by Hanban.²⁹

In this case, it seems quite problematic to go beyond the discourse proposed by the Chinese side, due to the lack of its own expertise. This point should certainly be taken into account when making a decision on the establishment of the Confucius Institute at an educational institution.

¹ 500 Confucius Institutes established in 134 countries and regions across the world - http://english.hanban.org/article/2015 - 12/10/content_626732.htm

² Duiwai hezuo yu jiaoliu (International Cooperation and Exchanges) - http://www.moe.edu.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/moe/moe1192/200702/16182.html

³ The British Council is an international organization dedicated to promoting cooperation in education, culture and the arts between the United Kingdom and other countries. The British Council has more than 7,000 full-time employees around the world, and has offices in 40 countries around the world.

Goethe Institute (German Goethe Cultural Center, Germany) Goethe-Institut is a German non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting the German language abroad and promoting international cultural cooperation.

The Institute of Cervantes is a Spanish state institution established in 1991 under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to teach the Spanish language and spread Spanish culture .

Allabert A.V. 4 Mesto konfutsianstva v modernizatsii Kitaya. M. 4 Mesto konfutsianstva v modernizatsii Kitaya. M. (in Russian)

⁵ Constitution and by-laws of the Confucius Institute -http://english.hanban.org/node_7880.htm

⁶ Confucius Institute annual development report 2014 -http://www.hanban.edu.en/report/pdf/2014.pdf

⁷ British Council annual report 2013 - 2014 https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/d554_annual_report_final.pdf

⁸ China Science and Technology Newsletter. The Ministry of Science and Technology People's Republic of China -http://www.most.gov.cn/eng/newsletters/2006/200611Д20061110_37960.htm

^{9 Belchenko A. S.} Deyatel'nost ' Institutov Konfutsii v Rossiiskoi Federatsii [Activity of Confucius Institutes in the Russian Federation]. Universal History series. 2010. N 1. pp. 65-74. (Bekhenko A. S. 2010. Deyatelnost Institutov Konfutsiya v Rossiyskoy Federatsii. Vestnik RUDN. Vseobshchaya Istoriya. N 1) (in Russian)

^{Zavyalova A. A.} 10 Confucius Institutes: Integration or Expansion? // Higher education today. 2009. N 9. Pp. 54-59. (Zavyalova A. A. 2009. Instituty Konfutsiya: integratsiya ili ekspansiya // Vysshee Obrazovanie segodnya. N 9) (in Russian)

^{Lekontseva K. V.} 11 Confucius Institutes as a tool of "flexible power" in China // Bulletin of the Trans-Baikal State University. 2010. N 7. pp. 27-31. (Lekontseva K. V. 2010. Instituty Konfutsiya kak instrument "gibkoy vlasty" Kitaya // Vestnik Zabaykalskogo Gos. Universiteta. N 7) (in Russian)

^{Paradise J.F.} 12 China and International Harmony: The Role of Confucius Institutes in Bolstering Beijing's Soft Power // Asian Survey, 2009. No. 4, p. 647 - 669.

¹³ Standard Model for Confucius Institutes http://www.china.com.cn/market/HanBanE/412379.htm

^{Belchenko A. S.} 14 Decree. op.

¹⁵ Interview with D. I. Mayatsky, Ph. D., Deputy Director of the Confucius Institute at St. Petersburg State University.

¹⁶ Interview with the Director of the Confucius Institute at St. Petersburg State University, PhD A. A. Rodionov.

^{Starr D.} 17 Creating a world language: Chinese government policy and the Confucius institutes program viewed from a British perspective: paper of the conference: Rising China in the age of globalization. London, 2007.

^{Sahlins M.} 18 Confucius Institutes: Academic Malware / / Website of The Asia-Pacific Journal. 2014. Vol. 12. N 1 -http://japanfocus.org/-Marshall-Sahlins/4220/article.html

^{Mosher S.} 19 Confucius Institutes: Trojan Horses with Chinese Characteristics Testimony Presented to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations House Committee on Foreign Affairs Presented March 28, 2012 - http://pop.org/content/confucius-institutes-trojan-horses-chinese-characteristics

²⁰ Interview with ... A. A. Rodionov.

^{Paradise J.F.} 21 Op. cit.

²² Overseas Volunteer Chinese Teacher Program. Archived from Hanban official website - http://www.webcitation.org/64a6u7UuU

^{Tsoi S.} 23 Confucius Goes Global: Chinese Soft Power and Implications for Global Governance - http://www.academia.edu/2091732/Confucius_Goes_Global_Chinese_Soft_Power_and_Impli cations_for_Global_Governance

^{Pierrebourg F., Juneau-Katsuya M.} 24 Nest of Spies: the starting truth about foreign agents at work within Canada's borders. Canada: Harper Collins, 2009.

²⁵ Sovremennyi Kitai i ego okruzhenie [Modern China and its Environment], edited by D. V. Kuznetsov and D. V. Buyarov.

^{Hartig F.} 26 Cultural diplomacy with Chinese characteristics: The case of Confucius Institutes in Australia - http://mams.rmit.edu.au/bd8e4ha8e4t8z.pdf

²⁷ "Lu Kewen xianxiang" zheshe zhongguo guoji yingxiangli buduan shangsheng (The Kevin Rudd phenomenon reflects China's growing influence) - http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2007 - 11/26/content_7144970.htm

^{Hoare-Vance S.J.} 28 The Confucius Institutes and China's evolving foreign policy // Master thesis. University of Canterbury, 2009 - http://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/bitstream/10092/3619/l/Thesis_fulltext.pdf

^{Sahlins M.} 29 Op. cit.

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