On 24 February, 2016, at the invitation of Mr. Louis Grou, Director General of Cégep Limoilou, a delegation of four people from the Confucius Institute in Quebec (CIQ) arrived in Quebec City to attend the inauguration of the first practical Confucius Classroom at the school.  The Confucius class at Limoilou is a satellite campus of the CIQ, established in 2013. Confucius classrooms share their teaching resources with their host institution, which, in this case is the Cegep Limoilou. The success of a Confucius classroom therefore marks the dedication of the host institution to the viability of its classroom.

Limoilou’s Confucius Classroom is located on the south side of the institution’s main building. In addition to the spacious and bright locale, the room is decorated in classic Chinese style. A red wall representing China is adorned with fans, papercut drawings and murals. Even the corridors are adorned with red lanterns. Even more impressive, the CIQ delegates learned that these decorations were made by the first students of the Confucius Classroom, signifying the beginning of mutual friendship and respect between the students and China.

The inauguration ceremony took place in a joyful, friendly and warm atmosphere. Limoilou’s Director General, Mr. Grou, Vice-President and the Head of International Affairs, respectively, addressed the gathering for this important opening ceremony. The Chairman of the Board, Mr. Richard Filion, and the Executive Director, Ms. Meng Rong, of the CIQ also offered their warm congratulations on the establishment of the Confucius practical classroom at the Cegep Limoilou.

For several years, the two institutions have collaborated in the realization of a variety of activities. For example, representatives of Cegep Limoilou participated in the international conference of the Confucius Institution in China and were involved in several exchange activities in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Cegep Limoilou executives were marked by the quality of education received by students and the overall effectiveness of the education system in China. They greatly appreciated student mobility strategies proposed by Chinese institutions citing the vital importance of cultural exchanges between institutions across the world to the future of education.

Much of the world is currently characterized by a focus on prosperity, reciprocity and sustainable development. In this context, colleges and universities have opened their doors to welcome students from all over the world. To date, Cegep Limoilou participates actively in exchanges with Chinese schools, especially during the school holidays, however administrators confess that their objective is far from attained. The establishment of the Confucius practical classroom aims to further the achievement of institutional goals, with the hope that more Quebecois students will become involved in projects with China.

Speeches were followed by the exhibition of several aspects of Chinese culture. Among the exhibitors were musicians of classical Chinese instruments such as the Hulusi, flute and the two-stringed Chinese violin and kiosks showcasing the art of Chinese tea, specialized food items and traditional Chinese clothing such as Cheongsam and the costume of Tang.

The CIQ delegates also contributed a special gift at the inauguration by offering  a montage demonstrating the makeup procedure for the famous Mu Guiying, one of the key figures of the Peking Opera. This was a new experience for students and many photos were taken with Professor Shijia Jiang, who assumed the role of Mu Guiying. During the demonstration, Professors Chao Zhang and Fan Yang told the story of Mu Guiying for interested students. These precious moments were captured by Mr. Peng Yu, organizer and professional photographer.

The inauguration ceremony was a very well organized event where teachers and students of Cegep Limoilou participated in several interactive activities and were able to learn more about the Peking Opera, the Art of Tea, Taiji, Chinese folk dance and many other aspects of Chinese culture.