On the evening of September 1, 2015, the first 5-day Embassy Festival of Romania was launched at the capital city, Bucharest, with the participation of 50 units in Romania. These units included foreign diplomatic missions, international organizations and local cultural institutions. On behalf of the Chinese embassy in Romania, the Confucius Institute at the University of Bucharest (CI at UB) took part in this activity from beginning to end.

On the opening day, CI at UB attracted the attention of foreign diplomatic envoys, Romanian officials and local people with its elaborately arranged picture show of Chinese culture and teaching achievements of that CI. In addition, the CI presented an exhibition on things that embody the essence of Chinese culture. Apart from the wonderful show and exhibition, CI at UB also organized colorful cultural activities to interact with local visitors, such as screening Chinese documentary “Earth and Fire—Chinese Porcelain”, kicking shuttlecock, practicing Tai Chi and teaching foreign friends to write their names in Chinese. In the Youth Park— another venue of the event, CI at UB staged a series of eye-catching performances on Chinese culture, including playing Chinese musical instruments such as the zither and erhu, doing paper cutting, performing Kung Fu, and displaying teaarts.

Both the indoor exhibition and the outdoor cultural activities of the Chinese pavilion continuously attracted an endless stream of local citizens. They were either flocking to see or to participate in the activities, with the total number exceeding a thousand. The State Secretary of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the Bucharest General Municipality and its administrative sectors and other dignitaries attended the Chinese Pavilion to give their congratulatory appreciation. Zeng Jixin, Political Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Romania and Deng Liming, Head of that Embassy’s Education Section and other Chinese diplomats also came to the Chinese Pavilion to convey their congratulations and thanks to CI at UB.

With its long duration, rich activities and high local participation, this event has been fully and thoroughly covered by Romanian Television Corporation (TVR), the local radio stations, Xinhua News Agency and other mainstream media. The event has not only greatly popularized Chinese culture among the locals by creating an ever-growing influence, but also has served as an ideal warming-up for the upcoming second Global Confucius Institute Day.