The Fourth Confucius Institute Conference opened in Beijing on December 11th, 2009. The opening ceremony was chaired by Yuan Guiren, Chinese Minister of Education and Vice President of the Board of Trustee of the Confucius Institute Headquarter. Liu Yandong, State Councilor and President of the Board of Trustee of the Confucius Institute Headquarter, delivered a keynote speech. More than 1,000 distinguished guests from both home and abroad, including presidents of Confucius institutes from

all countries, attended the conference. Zhang Shaogang, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of the Open University of China (OUC), attended the conference on behalf of the OUC. The Confucius Institute co-founded by the OUC and the Michigan State University of the U.S. have been conferred the honorary title of "Advanced Confucius Institute" for the third time. The Chinese Language Center of the OUC also chose its latest products for exhibition which attracted wide concern.

Zhang Shaogang, visiting the exhibition with Chen Li, Deputy Manager and Editor-in-chief of China Education TV

The theme of this three-day Confucius Institute Conference was "Confucius Institute and Community Services", which involved a number of activities, including the Exhibition of Multi-Language and Confucius Institute Resources, the University President Forum and Symposium and Chinese and Foreign Art Performance. At the opening ceremony, 20 annually elected "Advanced Confucius Institutes" and 30 advanced individuals were awarded on the spot. The Confucius Institute co-founded by the OUC and the Michigan State University of the U.S. have been conferred the honorary title of "Advanced Confucius Institute" for the third time in succession and was commended for its achievements.

Medal of "Advanced Confucius Institute" Issued by the Conference and demonstration of our Excellent Teaching Resources for the Collaborative Confucius Institute

The Chinese Language Center of the OUC has been undertaking the tasks of developing and exploring teaching resources for the Confucius Institute of Michigan State University in US. At the meeting, the Chinese Language Center of the OUC also launched some on-line Chinese teaching courses and a series of products on Chinese language and culture. The Center also held a discussion on its new product, "Shine-fun Pen", an audio-visual interactive system in the application of Chinese teaching. Its distance Chinese teaching platform and courses have aroused much interest from the participants.

Zhang Shaogang visiting the exhibition stand of the Chinese Language Center of the OUC

The Demonstration of the New Products "Shine-fun Pen" Audio-visual Interactive System Developed by the CLC