On the morning of 17 November 2009, the unveil ceremony and symposium was held to celebrate the establishment of the Chinese Language Center of the Open University of China (the OUC). Mr. Ruan Zhiyong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the OUC, Mr. Li Linshu, the Vice President of the OUC, Zhang Shaogang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and the former Vice Director of Hanban, Professor Jiang Mingbao from BLCU (Beijing Language and Culture University), attended the symposium and the opening ceremony.

Mr. Liang Xiaoqing, Director of the Chinese Language Center (the CLC) presided the symposium. Li Fujia, Vice Director of the Center briefed the participants the development, achievements, current tasks and future objectives of the Center. China Panorama, Easy Chinese and other teaching materials complied by the Center were the most completed multi-media teaching materials in the world. These teaching materials have been introduced to more than 30 countries and areas and published in France, U.S., Korea and other countries. Five textbooks have been selected as the "Export-oriented Key Proposals for Audiovisual Products and Electronic Publications" by the General Administration of Press and Publication of China. Since 1996 when the Center undertook the task of producing the programmes for SCOLA, a Chinese teaching channel for the North America, the CLC has gradually developed into a professional institute for teaching, research and resource development. Currently, it is devoting itself to studying and exploring the new teaching mode for distance Chinese teaching and its services platform.

Leaders of the OUC have great expectations of the Chinese Language Center. Party Secretary Ruan Zhiyong hoped that the Center would adopt a insightful blueprint from now on, strive to make a promising career out of an excellent team and finally become one of the disciplines in the OUC. The Vice President Li Linshu made two points. First, the Center should have a long term plan. It should make itself a center of resources, teaching, research and language promotion. Second, it should have a broad vision. Its services should be accessible in and out of the University, home and abroad so as to facilitate the construction and share of the school's resources, operational mode and information. When conditions permitted, it could make the discipline of teaching Chinese as a foreign language one of the majors in the University. The President Zhang Shaogang said that the operational mode of the Center which combined teaching and market exploration was an innovational and creative mechanism. It was expected to provide valuable experience for developing the OUC into a top open university in the world.

Professor Jiang Mingbao has cooperated with the OUC for quite a long time. He affirmed the ability and professionalism of the Chinese Language Center. He believed its teaching concept, teaching design and making, and the team building were advancing with the time. He said teaching Chinese as a foreign language was new and with the characteristic of multi-discipline. He hoped that the Center would make the best of the operational mode and resources in distance education of the OUC and find out an applicable and effective distance teaching means as soon as possible to meet the needs of better promoting Chinese in the world.

The persons presented also included the leaders from faculties and the administrative departments concerned of the OUC. They all extended their congratulations to its establishment and warmly and sincerely put forward their opinions and suggestions relating to the construction and future development of the Chinese Language Center.

(Photos by Wei Jie, Article by Wu Han and Huang Junjun from the OUC)