Foreign Dean of Confucius Institute Mr. Pildegovics Went to China for Advanced Studies

October 11, 2014, the 2014 4th Senior Seminar classes of foreign deans of Confucius Institute opened by Confucius Institute Headquarters / Hanban in East China Normal University. 39 foreign deans from Latvia, USA, UK, Switzerland, Estonia and other 25 countries gathered at East China Normal University, training Chinese culture and discussing the future development of Confucius Institute.
At the seminar, as one of the three representatives of 39 foreign deans, the foreign dean of Confucius Institute at University of Latvia Professor Pildegovics made a statement. First, he said he was very glad to see the deans of Confucius Institute who came from 25 countries gathering here, sharing and learning Chinese culture, experiencing collision between different cultures and the world’s cultural diversity. Then he pointed out that in many parts of the world the Confucius Institute has a long history and tradition of Sinology. The booming development of the Confucius Institute is both a heritage of past research, as well as the promoting and facilitating of future development of Sinology. Finally, Professor Pildegovics talked about his own experiences and shared everyone his bond with China and Shanghai.
Professor Pildegovics is a famous Sinologist. He studied Chinese language at the University of Moscow in 1960s and 1970s. Then he did Chinese teaching and research in Vladivostok Far Eastern University and the University of Latvia for decades. In addition, Professor Pildegovics is Latvia’s first ambassador in China and used to work in Xinhua News Agency. In The past two decades, he went to China every year, thus proudly said China was his second hometown. From the 1990s, Professor Pildegovics has been to Shanghai five times, accompanying two Presidents of Latvia, and Latvian Prime Minister. As the foreign dean and one of the founders of the Confucius Institute at the University of Latvia, Professor Pildegovics devoted himself in the comparison of Chinese and Latvian language, as well as culture broadcast. He Compiled the “Chinese Latvian dictionary”, which make up for the blank of this research field.
During the participation, Professor Pildegovics presented the school emblem of Confucius Institute at the University of Latvia to the Director-General of Confucius Institute Headquarters and director of Hanban Ms. Xu Lin.