(Seychelles News Agency) - The Confucius Institute of Seychelles confirmed there are around 3,600 Seychellois who have accessed its services over the past 11 years during a ceremony to commemorate its 20th anniversary of the first such institute being set up in Uzbekistan.

The director of the Confucius Institute in Seychelles, Zhang Jianmei, told SNA that over the years there has been a lot of interest in learning Chinese.

"Some people are learning for their jobs, some need to learn the language for business and some people are interested because they plan to visit China or study. We also have students from the Seychelles Tourism Academy who are learning so they can communicate with Chinese visitors," she said.

Zhang said that since the institute was set up in Seychelles in 2013, the teachers who have come to Seychelles to teach "We've tried very hard to adapt and to meet the needs of the Seychellois people who are interested in learning the Chinese language and culture. Until now for the past 11 years altogether 3600 Seychellois have joined us in the Confucius Institute to study Chinese. We are very proud of this."

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and educator from over 2000 years ago whose works and teachings have greatly impacted Chinese culture. Jiang explained that the first Confucius Institute to be founded outside of China was 20 years ago in Uzbekistan, which was named the Oriental Institute.

In honour of this, the Confucius Institute of Seychelles commemorated the 20^th Anniversary of the founding of this first institute. During what they described as Confucius Day, the Chinese Medical Team showcased an ancient traditional Chinese health and fitness regimen called Baduanjin. Additionally, they were also displaying examples of calligraphy, paper cutting, handicrafts, and ink paintings where guests present at the ceremony could participate. The ceremony was also an opportunity for the Institute to present certificates of completion to people who have completed different levels of the Chinese language class.

There were also presentations from students who participated in the Chinese Bridge competition and who also got the opportunity to visit China last month, where they described their experiences.

"I have great expectations for the development of the Confucius Institute in Seychelles. At the very beginning of September this year, President Xi Jinping and President Ramkalawan elevated the relationship between the two countries as strategic partners and they encouraged more people to visit each other, they also encouraged more outstanding students from Seychelles to learn in China. They also encouraged more business collaboration, especially with the chartered flight between Chengdu and Mahe. I think there will be more frequent people with these two countries, therefore, more Seychellois people may be interested in learning the language," said Zhang.