MISSOULA ―

In honor of the official inauguration of the Confucius Institute at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, The University of Montana will celebrate Chinese Culture Week Monday through Friday, Jan. 25-29.

A six-person delegation from Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing, China, led by Zhang Guolin and Deng Chaoxi, will join UM President George Dennison, Mansfield Center Director Terry Weidner and Confucius Institute Co-director Qin Jie for a ceremony to mark the occasion. Representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., also will attend.

UM also will host events that are free and open to the public during Chinese Culture Week:

• A professional dance troupe from Southwest University will perform a series of intricate and colorful dances representing various aspects of Chinese culture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, in the University Theatre.

• Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre will hold a Chinese dance workshop at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, in the University Center North Ballroom.

• The University Center will host a Chinese movie night at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, in Room 330.

“Chinese Culture Week is a perfect way to mark the official opening of the Confucius Institute at The University of Montana and to thank our Chinese partners for their invaluable contributions to our common interest in promoting better understanding between Chinese and Americans,” Weidner said.

The Confucius Institute promotes Chinese language and culture education in Montana through distance learning, lectures, performances and more. It is part of a worldwide network of sister institutions funded by the Chinese Ministry of Education. Last year, the institute implemented Chinese language instruction in 10 high schools in five school districts across Montana, the first time Chinese has ever been offered in Montana public schools.

For more information, call Jeri Jacobsen of the Mansfield Center at 406-243-2988 or visit www.umt.edu/mansfield.

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