Confucius Institute

In this section:

• Introduction
• About Us
• News
• Events
• Meet the Team
• Learn
• Research
• Culture
• Past Events - Highlights
• Join our Mailing List
• Contact Us

Discover the Power of Mandarin Language at the Confucius Institute, Bangor University!

Find out more about our learning options

Learn Chinese with Us

At Bangor University’s Confucius Institute, Mandarin teaching is at the heart of what we do. We offer engaging classes for schools, colleges, community groups and individuals across north Wales, welcoming learners of all ages and abilities.

Our courses are flexible and supportive, designed to suit your needs whether you are a beginner, preparing for exams, or looking to build on existing skills.

Learning with us goes beyond language. Our tutors bring Chinese culture to life, blending language learning with insights into traditions, customs and everyday life.

Join our friendly community and discover how learning Mandarin can open doors to new opportunities in education, culture and business.

We also offer live online courses and cultural video classes, so you can learn from anywhere.

Online Learning Resources

Discover Chinese Language and Culture from Anywhere!

Begin your journey into Chinese language and culture with our online programmes.

Join our live Zoom-based Mandarin classes or explore our on-demand cultural video lessons — designed to bring the richness of Chinese traditions, language and heritage to you, wherever you are.

Connect with us online and open the door to new experiences and opportunities.

For more details and registration visit our Online Learning Resources page.

Research

The Confucius Institute at Bangor University benefits not only from the wealth of academic excellence and expertise at Bangor, but also from that of its international partner, China’s leading law school: the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) in Beijing. This partnership has created particularly strong links in the area of law, with many collaborations taking place between CUPL and Bangor University’s School of Law.

Our core research strengths also include Law, Business, Music, Modern Languages, Linguistics, Psychology and Education – in focusing on these and forming strategic partnerships to maximise the opportunities available – we aim to develop an international research portfolio that will cross cultural, economic and political divides between north Wales and China.

Our Directors

The Confucius Institute at Bangor University also benefits from the academic expertise of its two Directors.

Research Staff

• Dr Lina Davitt, Director
• Dr David Joyner, Former Director. Visiting Professor at China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL), Beijing (School of Humanities Science) and Honorary Senior Associate at Bangor University’s School of Music

Past Projects

• An ethnobotanical survey investigating medicinal plant use by Chinese population in North Wales in collaboration with Dr Sophie Williams, Lecturer in Conservation in the School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography at Bangor University, and post-doctoral researcher at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden. 
• Intercultural communication project investigating how Chinese students intergrate in UK and other European countries. The project is in collaboration with Prof. Olga Leontovich, Head of the Department of Intercultural Communication and Translation at Volgograd State Pedagogical University (VSPU), the largest teacher training university in southern Russia. 
• DynaMost - Digitisation of series of lectures on Chinese dynasties. In collaboration with Petar Miladinov, Lecturer at the Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Library Scientific and Cultural policies at St.Kliment Ohridski University, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Culture

Whether your interest lies in language, music, art, craft, film, cuisine, dance, costume or heritage, there’s something to suit every taste in our year-round programme of events, which aims to promote Chinese culture and cultural collaboration across north Wales.

Our public events include activities such as calligraphy, paper-cutting, musical performance, tai qi and kite painting, and we also offer cultural workshops to community groups and schools to suit requirement.

Academic research at Bangor University builds on this activity, with collaborations taking place in the Schools of Business, Law, Music, Modern Languages and Cultures, Linguistics, Education and SENRGY (School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography).

China’s highly diverse and culturally rich ethnic population is also represented, acknowledging the country’s 56 recognised ethnic groups, and exploring aspects of culture and language unique to these in relation to our own ancient and vibrant culture here in north Wales.