(Source: China-Greece Times2016-12-05）

The Athens Business Confucius Institute, located a stone’s throw from the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, has become a natural place for Greeks to visit when looking for Chinese culture.

Greek people who study Chinese, explore Chinese philosophy, and consult on matters related to China... all take a step forward to look for this small red building adjacent to the wooded "Ares Park". The window here is where you can directly see the Acropolis of Athens in the distance. This classic building marks the highest architectural achievement in the golden age of ancient Greece. It is the natural landscape that teachers and students of the Athens Business Confucius Institute stare at when they are studying in class and throwing away their books when they are tired.

Hegel described the unique position of Greece in his heart at the beginning of his "Lectures on the History of Philosophy": "Whenever Greece is mentioned, a sense of home will arise in the hearts of educated people in Europe." China's Confucius Institute is located in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of European civilization, and naturally has an extraordinary cultural heritage. As the Year of the Monkey in Bingshen comes to an end and the Year of the Rooster in Dingyou approaches, the China-Greece Times spoke with w88 online sports betting, the director of the Confucius Institute at Athens Business, to review the past year and look forward to the new year ahead. Together they looked back on the extraordinary past of the Confucius Institute in the hometown of Socrates and looked forward to a new path in the coming year.

"China-Greece Times": China and Greece are the two oldest ancient civilizations in the East and the West, linking the two ends of the ancient Silk Road. The Confucius Institute - closely connecting the two ancient civilizations of China and Greece with cultural ties. As the director of the Athens Business Confucius Institute, what special cultural connotations do you think the establishment of the Confucius Institute in Athens has?

w88 online sports betting: The establishment of the Confucius Institute in Athens in Greece is of extremely important cultural significance. Greece is the beachhead for the Chinese government’s “One Belt, One Road” policy to land in Europe. Promoting Chinese culture here will lay a good foundation for the natural integration of Chinese culture into other European countries. To do a good job in cultural work, language must come first. Without language communication, culture cannot be spread. Language and culture are twin sisters. Only by walking hand in hand can we climb thousands of mountains and cross thousands of rivers. The important mission of the Confucius Institute is to spread Chinese culture and provide Chinese teaching services. In the process of the integration of China and Greece, the two ancient civilizations of the East and the West, the Confucius Institute should play a special and important role.

China-Greece Times: After more than a year of contact and understanding of Greece, what impression do you have of Greek culture and Greeks?

w88 online sports betting: I have been in contact with Greek culture and Greeks in Greece for more than a year. I think Greek culture does not pay attention to appearance, but pays more attention to connotation. As the cornerstone of mainstream European and American ideologies, Greek culture attaches great importance to humanism, and human subjectivity can be fully developed. No wonder, EnglishOntologyThe word (ontology) comes from Greek, which contains the world view of the Greeks from ancient times to the present. Many European and American cultural buildings are located on the cornerstone of Greek civilization. The hospitality, kindness and humor of today's Greeks have left a deep impression on me. Although the country is in financial crisis, their mentality is still optimistic. When getting along with them, I can always feel the positive energy surging deep in their hearts.

China-Greece Times: What important activities has the Athens Business Confucius Institute carried out in the past year? What are some meaningful stories among them? What are some touching moments?

w88 online sports betting: In the past year, our Athens Business Confucius Institute has done the following important work: We invited Dr. Shan Jixiang, Director of the Palace Museum, to come to the institute and gave a wonderful report to Chinese and foreign audiences. During the interaction after the report, inspired by the questions raised by our students and myself, Dean Shan Jixiang said on the spot: From now on, students from Confucius Institutes around the world can visit the Palace Museum for free, and dedicated personnel will be sent to explain the history and culture of the Palace Museum. He also expressed that the Palace Museum is willing to co-organize three consecutive days of cultural activities with the Confucius Institute. This statement is of great significance for Hanban’s Sino-foreign cultural exchanges to reach a higher level.

Our volunteers and teachers participated in the "Greece Chinese Overseas Chinese Volunteer Team to Rescue Middle Eastern Refugees" in2015Christmas and201614529_14777201714805_14910

In terms of large-scale cultural activities, in addition to normal events2015and2016The “Confucius Institute Day” event,2016Year6month1215566_15595Two Worlds Become One》Large-scale cultural activities;2016Year10month916034_160492567Anniversary and "Harmony without Diversity" large-scale cultural event.

The most exciting moment was undoubtedly the moment when Director Shan Jixiang announced that the Palace Museum would be open to students from Confucius Institutes around the world free of charge. It was the most unforgettable historical moment. The Palace Museum, world-famous and the oldest and richest in China, will be relevant to every one of our Confucius Institute students from now on! This historic news that has benefited students from Confucius Institutes around the world comes right now, from our Athens Business Confucius Institute!

"China-Greece Times": Greek writer Nix-Kazantzakis said in his "Travel in China": "Socrates and Confucius are two masks of human beings. Under the two masks, they are the same face of human thought." The Confucius Institute connects the wisdom of Confucius in the East and Socrates in the West. What do you think of this sentence?

Zu Lijun: As a director of the Confucius Institute, I have two missions: spreading Chinese culture and providing Chinese teaching services. This is also the mission of the Chinese directors of Confucius Institutes around the world. However, as the director of the Confucius Institute in Greece, my work mission has changed from universality to particularity and pertinence - because China is the birthplace of Eastern civilization represented by Confucius, and Greece is the birthplace of European civilization represented by Socrates, the mission of the Confucius Institute in Greece has become concrete and clear, that is, we must rationally and superbly integrate the civilization represented by "harmony" and the civilization represented by "difference" in a targeted manner, and ultimately achieve "harmony without difference."

"China-Greece Times": Your master's degree and doctorate degree both involved the topic of linguistics and its translation. There are many etymological roots of Western linguistics in Greek. Can you name a few words that are impressive to you and give us a feel for the way Greeks feel and think about the world?

w88 online sports betting: English borrows a large number of Greek roots, some of the more common words, such asphilosophy(Philosophy=philLove+sophyWisdom)，disaster(Disaster=disDislocation+asterstars),dialogue(Dialogue=dia二+logueSpeak) and so on. From this we can feel the pure wisdom of the ancient Greeks. They established an original and profound relationship with the world. They felt this deep and beautiful world with a heart as simple as a child. Through each Greek word, we can get a glimpse of the leopard and understand in detail how the Greeks felt, described and thought about the world.

China-Greece Times: What is your impression of Greece’s natural scenery? Which Greek island have you visited? Why go to that place? What is your impression of the Greek islands?

w88 online sports betting: I feel that Greece’s natural scenery may be one of the best in the world. Its clear sea water and bright sun (natural calcium supplement) are unparalleled. There are hundreds of islands dotted around the Aegean Sea and Ionian Sea in Greece. Due to my busy work schedule, I have not been to many islands so far. I’ve been to Santorini, Zakynthos and Lesvos. In Santorini, I saw the most beautiful town in the world and the sunset on the sea; in Zakynthos, I bathed in its clear blue waters; I went to Lesbos to rescue the Middle Eastern refugees there. Just from the few islands I have been to, I feel that different islands in Greece have different characteristics. The small islands in Greece are unique "this one". However, when you are in the specific "this one", you can feel that "this one" deeply contains the incomparably rich "whole" of the world. As mentioned beforeOntologyThe word (ontology) will have a deeper feeling when you are on a small Greek island surrounded by sea water: the day is coming to an end, night has fallen, all the ferries have bid farewell to the island, the quiet night, on the small island surrounded by blue water, is lonely and warm, simple and rich, concrete and infinite, it is "one"Mono, also "whole"Onto。

China-Greece Times: Next year will be the Year of the Rooster in China. As we bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, what are your expectations and plans for the work of the Athens Business Confucius Institute in the next year?

w88 online sports betting: us2017The work plan and outlook are as follows:

1. Athens Business Confucius Institute planned in2017Year5The "4th China-Greece Economic and w88 Forum" was held in March to contribute to the promotion of economic and w88 exchanges between China and Greece;

2. Planned on2017Year6The comprehensive management experience exchange meeting of Confucius Institutes in the Balkans was held in October;

3. Planned on2017Year10The "Chinese Folk Songs and Dances Come to Greece Large-scale Cultural Performance" will be held in September. The event is jointly organized by the Confucius Institute and the Chinese and overseas Chinese in Greece;

4. Plan to go to Greek islands with larger populations to promote and introduce Chinese culture at an appropriate time;

5. Set up mobile "Chinese Charm" booths in pedestrian streets or squares in Athens to normalize Chinese promotion.

China-Greece Times: Can you name a few Greek words that you are most familiar with? What are your favorite Chinese words? Do you have your own life motto?

w88 online sports betting: My current Greek level is limited to a few words, the ones I am more familiar with arekalimera,charisma,zoe,elpida,kalokerietc. My favorite Chinese words include "peace", "health", "happiness", "integrity", "hope", "effort", etc.

I don’t have any specific motto in life, I just believe in “Being a man with conscience and having a clear conscience”.

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