On the afternoon of July 3, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng, accompanied by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, visited the Kazakhstan Branch of Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). Minister Huai listened to President Duan Peng’s report on BLCU’s educational achievements and the branch’s development plans, providing important guidance for the university’s future.
Minister Huai Jinpeng, accompanied by Minister Sayasat Nurbek, visits BLCU Kazakhstan Branch.
In his report, President Duan Peng emphasized that language fosters peace and culture bridges hearts. BLCU remains committed to promoting mutual learning among civilizations, having trained over 80 foreign dignitaries, more than 300 foreign ambassadors, and about 300,000 international alumni from nearly 200 countries and regions. BLCU will leverage its strengths in three first-level disciplines—Chinese Language and Literature, Foreign Languages and Literature, and Regional and Country Studies—as well as the key fields like International Chinese Education, Sinology and Chinese Studies, and Language Sciences. Resources such as HSK standardized testing and BLCU Press, including its North American branch (Phoenix Tree), will serve as vital supports for the branch’s operations.
The education ministers of both countries listen to BLCU’s report.
Minister Huai and his delegation entered a classroom at the branch, observing with great interest an interactive teaching session supported by BLCU’s independently developed “International Chinese Smart Teaching System 3.0”. This system constructs a knowledge graph integrating static content for language teaching with dynamic data on student and teacher performance, effectively helping students learn Chinese language as a bridge to gain a genuine, multifaceted, and comprehensive understanding of China.
Minister Huai Jinpeng enters a classroom at BLCU Kazakhstan Branch.
Subsequently, Minister Huai inspected the textbook planning, usage, and evaluation processes at the Kazakhstan branch, affirming the important role played by BLCU Press and its North American branch (Phoenix Tree) in providing textbooks and reading materials for international Chinese education.
Minister Huai listens to reports on textbook planning, usage, and evaluation at the branch.
The education ministers of both countries jointly witnessed the unveiling ceremony for the representative structure “Tangdi” Pavilion at the branch. Designed and constructed by BLCU, the pavilion will be completed this month. The name “Tangdi” is derived from the poem “Tangdi” in The Book of Songs, which celebrates brotherly affection. The pavilion draws on this ancient poetic sentiment to praise the deep friendship between people of China and Kazakhstan today.
The education ministers of both countries and presidents of the two universities in front of the “Tangdi” Pavilion backdrop
Minister Huai expressed sincere gratitude to Minister Nurbek for his strong support and efficient promotion of the branch’s establishment. He highly praised Presidents Irsaliev and Duan Peng, along with their teams, for their dedicated efforts and sincere cooperation in building the branch, fully recognizing the significant contributions of both universities to higher education cooperation between China and Kazakhstan. Minister Huai noted that he hopes BLCU will play a leading role in advancing international Chinese education in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, cultivating more talents for regional development, and building the branch into a successful model for Chinese higher education overseas, and becoming a world-class university in the future.
BLCU Kazakhstan Branch
Key officials from relevant departments of the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Kazakh Ministry of Education accompanied the visit.
