Accelerated Transformation of Chinese Schools in the New Era: Blending Online and Offline Education Emerges as a Highlight
The Chinese Language Education Symposium of the 2025 "Roots-Seeking Journey to China · Affection for China" Summer Camp Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Session Held Successfully
On the evening of July 21, the Chinese Language Education Symposium of the 2025 "Roots-Seeking Journey to China · Affection for China" Summer Camp Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Session was held successfully. Focusing on the new challenges and development opportunities faced by overseas Chinese schools in the new era, the symposium aimed to gain in-depth insights into the latest developments of these schools and jointly explore the development paths for Chinese language education.
Representatives of participating overseas Chinese schools frankly stated that student enrollment has seen a noticeable decline since the post-pandemic period, while online teaching models have been widely adopted. To adapt to the new normal, various Chinese schools are actively exploring transformation directions. A prominent strategy is to deeply integrate rich cultural teaching content into language courses, thereby enhancing the courses’ appeal and practicality, meeting students’ diverse needs, and seeking new footholds amid changes.
During the symposium, among the achievements of Chinese language education displayed by the Language and Culture Center of Jiangsu University, a photo documenting the outcomes of a Filipino camper’s participation in the online summer camp three years ago attracted special attention. Pleasantly, the camper in the photo came to Zhenjiang in person this year and joined the offline summer camp. Her transformation from a figure in a cloud-based photo to a smiling presence in front of everyone vividly demonstrated the enduring, cross-temporal influence of Chinese language education. This wonderful connection "from the cloud to the physical venue" has become the best testament to the value of the blended online-offline education model.
The participating representatives unanimously agreed that the Filipino camper’s experience of transitioning from online to offline participation has strongly proven that the hybrid online-offline model has opened broader prospects for Chinese language education. This model can not only flexibly address challenges in different environments, but also continuously stimulate the interest of overseas Chinese teenagers in learning Chinese and experiencing Chinese culture. Going forward, how to further optimize resources and deepen the interactive experience of online-offline integration has become a direction of common concern for all participants.
The symposium was hosted by Professor Ren Xiaofei, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Director of the Language and Culture Center of Jiangsu University. Also present were Wang Yongxin, Chairman of Zhenjiang Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; Huang Bei, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of Zhenjiang Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; as well as four leading teachers from overseas Chinese schools participating in this summer camp. Teachers and student representatives from the School of Liberal Arts (Language and Culture Center) also attended the symposium.
