A new institute at the University at Buffalo will offer Western New York a dose of Chinese

language and culture.

UB on Friday celebrated the grand opening of its Confucius Institute, part of a growing

network of institutes sponsored worldwide by a Chinese organization.

"Our primary goal is to encourage more people in Western New York to study Chinese and gain

a fuller understanding and appreciation for Chinese history and culture," said Kristin

Stapleton, director of UB's Asian Studies Program. "One important way we will accomplish this

is by promoting Chinese language learning in schools across the region."

With China's rise as an economic power, many Americans have become interested in learning

the language and culture, particularly for the potential business opportunities.

Universities worldwide applied for grants from the Chinese Language Council International

— representing a dozen state ministries and commissions — which has provided funds

to launch about 300 of these language and learning centers across the globe.

Skeptics have dismissed them as an obvious political public relations campaign by China.

Supporters see them as a chance to enhance worldwide relations with China, a country that

has a rich, complex history and had long been closed off to the rest of the world.

UB, which enrolls about 500 Chinese students, was the first U.S. university to have an

exchange agreement with a Chinese university, negotiating a deal in 1980 after the communist

country instituted economic reforms and opened its doors to the West.

"This is a landmark event in the long, ongoing history of UB's engagement with China," said

Stephen C. Dunnett, UB's vice president for international relations.

For its first year of the program, UB received $150,000 from the Chinese Language Council,

Stapleton said. That will be matched by contributions from the university and its longtime

partner in China, Capital Normal University in Beijing, most of which are in-kind

contributions, including space and staff, Stapleton added.

While all the details have not been worked out, the Confucius Institute at UB also plans to

provide speakers on Chinese culture, film screening, calligraphy classes, martial arts

demonstrations and Chinese language and orientation classes for businesses and government

officials.

The institute will be housed in temporary offices, until a permanent spot is found on the

North Campus in Amherst, Stapleton said.

Friday's grand opening included remarks from UB President John B. Simpson and Gong Huili,

executive president of Capital Normal University, as well as traditional and contemporary

Chinese music and dance at the Center for the Arts on the North Campus.