Confucius Institute controversy in the USA explained. Which ones are left? Updated 2021!

usa-china-war

Who was Confucius?

Confucius (551 BCE – 479 BCE) used to be a Chinese philosopher, political thinker, and teacher. He is widely regarded as one of East Asia’s most prominent and influential figures. His timeless teachings, expressed through Confucianism, have sent ripples that are felt till this very day. Click here to discover some of his most acclaimed phrases. 

Confucius Statue
Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay

What are Confucius Institutes?

Confucius Institutes (CIs) are part of a program made by the Chinese International Education Foundation (formerly the Hanban), their main goal is promoting the Chinese language & culture across the globe. These institutes are mainly located inside universities. Apart from language classes, they may host a variety of other activities such as taiji, calligraphy, and brush painting. If you want to sit the HSK test, they probably hold the exam and would be delighted to help you out.

usa-china-enemies
Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Confucius Institutes Controversy

In the past few years, there has been much controversy revolving around CIs. Under the Trump administration, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated these institutes as a state-directed foreign mission tasked with pushing Beijing’s agenda. Moreover, federal government funding is being pulled from universities that choose to maintain ties with CI’s. Strong political and communal influences are also continuously being exhorted upon remaining ones.

Consequently, the number of Confucius Institutes inside American colleges & universities has seen a steady decline since reaching an all-time high of 103 in 2017. As of 2021, there are just a couple dozen left open, some of them on the verge of closing. 

Whether the former information influences or not your desire to pursue Chinese studies is up to you. In my view, even though the events that caused the unfortunate unfolding are damaging and certainly detrimental to US-China relations, they are not as widespread as the media outlet pictures them. The main reason for establishments to end ties with their Chinese counterparts is economical and not political.

Don’t forget that China is still America’s third largest trading partner. Furthermore, being competent in Chinese will, in all likelihood, continue to be an invaluable asset in the labor marketplace. 

library-bookshelves
Image by ElasticComputeFarm from Pixabay

Remaining Confucius Institutes in the United States

Wanting to study Chinese in the America but don’t know where? Don’t worry, we have carefully organized a list of all the remaining Confucius Institutes for your convenience. 

The following list is ordered state by state in alphabetical order.

Alabama

Address: 1560 E Maple Rd., Unit 200, Troy, MI 48083

Atlanta

Address: 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322

California

Address:  5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182 

Address: Knight Building, 521 Memorial Way, Stanford, CA 94305-2000

Georgia

Address: 4760 Forsyth Rd., Macon, GA 31210

Idaho 

  • Northwest Nazarene University (unclear status, website taken down)

Address: 623 S University Blvd., Nampa, ID 83686 

Illinois

Address: 42 W. Madison Street, Chicago, IL 60602

Indiana

Address: 756 Finch Ct., Valparaiso, IN 46383

Kentucky

Address: 2501 Crossings Blvd. Suite 301E, Bowling Green, KY 42104

Louisiana

Address: 1 Drexel Drive, New Orleans, LA 70125

Minnesota

Address: 720 4th Ave. S, St. Cloud, MN 56301

Missouri

Address: 470 East Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, MO 63119

New Jersey

Address: John F. Kennedy Blvd. 2039, Jersey City, NJ 07305

New York

Address: 10 Park, Alfred, NY 14802

Address: 100 Washington Street, New York, NY 10006

Address: 33 W 42nd St., New York, NY 10036

Address: 116 East 55th St., New York, NY 10022 

Address: 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225

Address: Humanities 254A, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222

Address: UB Commons, 520 Lee Entrance, Suite 113,  Buffalo 14228, New York

Ohio

Address: 834 East High Ave., New Philadelphia, OH 44663 

Address: Quaker Square, Suite 303, Akron, OH 44325

Address: Snyder Memorial Building, Toledo, OH 43606

Rhode Island

Address: 1150 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, RI 02917

South Carolina

Address: 503 South Broad Street, Clinton, SC 29325

Texas

Address: 4400 West 18th Street, Houston, TX 77092-8501 

Utah

Address: 70 E 100 N, Farmington, UT 84025

Address: 351 W. University Blvd., Cedar City, UT 84720

Address: 215 S Central Campus Dr., Room 203, Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Washington

Address: Harstad Hall, Offices 114 & 115, Tacoma, WA 98447-0003

The sea is actually made up of drops of water and each drop counts.
Have you ever been to a Confucius Institute? What was the experience like? Your opinion does matter and may help others. Please be kind and share in the comments section below.
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Daftar
5 months ago

Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.

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