by KATE PROCTOR A NEW centre for Chinese learning aims to provide local students and firms with opportunities to study the country’s language and culture.

Lancaster University’s Con-fucius Institute is to become a national hub for Chinese studies and will run courses in Mandarin and Chinese culture to benefit school and university students and north Lancashire businesses.

It has been developed in conjunction with a Chinese university.

Bob McKinlay, deputy vice chancellor of the university, said: “We are delighted that the Confucius Institute will enable us to broaden and deepen our ties with China. This will offer Mandarin language and Chinese culture courses to students, schools and businesses and support enterprise in the region.”

The Institute is a joint venture set up by Lancaster University and the South China University of Tech-nology (SCUT) in Guangzhou, and overseen by the Office of Chinese Language Council International.

It also partners other Confucius Institutes in the North, including one at the University of Central Lanca-shire in Preston, and will be housed in a building at Lancaster.

Guests at the official opening included Professor Wang Yingjun, President of SCUT, who said the institute would serve as a bridge between the UK and China.

She said: “The establishing of the Confucius Institute has great significance in the exchange of education and culture between our two countries.

“The British higher educ-ation system is an important model for China and we hope to learn from each other, inspire each other and have a mutually beneficial relation-ship.”

They joined the new Director of the Confucius Institute, Dr Huang Qihai, at a celebration, which included a traditional Chinese lion dance performed by Ac-crington-based Northern Dragons.

The focus of the new centre will be the development of Chinese language and culture programmes for students in all faculties at the university.

Other Chinese programmes on language and culture will be open to students, staff, regional businesses and the North West community, including schools.