2004年11月17日，馬里蘭大學孔子學院在美國成立，是美國首家孔子學院。根據中國教育部漢語國際推廣領導小組辦公室、馬里蘭大學及其姐妹大學南開大學的聯合倡議，該孔院旨在開展中文語言項目，提供中國研究信息，培養(yǎng)對當代中國文化和社會的興趣。成立至今，該孔院在這兩所合作大學的大力支持下，一直致力于實現其目標和宗旨。

Established on November 17， 2004， theConfucius Institute at the University of Maryland（CIM） was the first of its kind in the United States.As a joint initiative between the Chinese Ministryof Education’s Office of Chinese Language CouncilInternational， the University of Maryland， and itssister university Nankai University， the CIM aimed todevelop Chinese language programs abroad， provideinformation about Chinese studies， and cultivateinterest in contemporary Chinese culture and society.Since its establishment， the CIM has been working tomeet its goals and objectives with the strong supportof the University of Maryland and its sister-university，Nankai University.

成立后的16多年里， 孔院一直在馬里蘭大學校園內一棟建筑的四樓辦公。門口掛著中國紅燈籠，墻壁上掛滿了藝術作品和照片，這個地方很好找。此處成了中文學習者和中國文化愛好者交流的地方。

For over sixteen years， the CIM occupied a suiteof offices in a narrow hallway on the fourth floor ofa campus building at the University of Maryland.It was hard to miss — with its bright red Chineselanterns hanging from the ceiling， and the wallscovered in artwork and photos. The offices becameknown as the place to come to learn and engage withothers who shared an interest and love of Chineselanguage and culture.

在運營期間，孔院通過多種渠道推廣中文和中國文化：為大學、當地社區(qū)以及整個州提供中文和文化課，并努力增進人們對中國的理解；為K—12教育提供經驗豐富的中文教師和中文課程，舉辦關于中國社會、藝術、教育、歷史、倫理和政治等方面的講座、研討會和討論等，內容豐富多彩；組織大學生和K—12學生去中國參加夏令營。該孔院是中外合作、教學、學習和分享的卓越示范。

While in operation on the University of Marylandcampus， the CIM advanced Chinese languageand culture in various venues. It provided manyservices to campus， local community and aroundthe state while promoting the study of Chinese language and culture and working to advance theunderstanding of China. It prepared and providedexperienced teachers in K-12 settings and offeredChinese learning classes. It conducted an exciting varietyof lectures， seminars， and discussions on aspectsof Chinese society， art， education， history， ethics andpolitics. It also provided university and K-12 studentsan opportunity to travel to China and learn firsthandabout the culture. The CIM was at the heartof an exceptional demonstration of collaboration，teaching， learning， and sharing.

K—12 外展：推廣中文語言學習

K-12 outreach： Promoting Chinese language learning

馬里蘭大學孔院的一項工作是推進K—12的中文教學。為此，該孔院成立了孔子課堂，并采用靈活的中文教學模式以適應當地中小學的情況。在其鼎盛時期，設有100多個不同的班級，教授2 000多名從幼兒園到高中的學生中文?？自哼€與多個建立了孔子課堂和/或有中文項目的學校進行合作。

Among the CIM’s primary focus was theadvancement of Chinese language and cultureeducation in K-12 settings.To achieve this， the instituteestabl ished ConfuciusClassrooms， which adoptedflexible teaching patternsand ad apt e d t o l o c a lconditions when teachingChinese language and promotingculture in primaryand secondary schools. Atits peak， the CIM connectedwith over 2，000 studentsacross pre-K， elementary，middle， and high schools，offering more than 100 differentChinese language andculture classes. CIM’s ableand talented staff connectedwith pre-kindergarten，kindergarten， elementary，middle， and high school students and worked directlywith multiple schools that established ConfuciusClassrooms and/or hosted active Chinese languageprograms.

該孔院協調安排中國教師在馬里蘭州各地小學和初中任教，填補了中文教學的空白。孔院與馬里蘭大學教育學院的認證中心合作，以確保為州公立學校提供合格的中文教師。該中心自成立以來，為整個地區(qū)的教育工作者提供了線下和線上課程，為許多教師授予學位或認證教學資格。這個項目至今仍在運行。

Across the state of Maryland， CIM worked withschools to coordinate the placement of teachers fromChina， in elementary and middle schools， filling avoid for Chinese language teaching and learning. TheCIM collaborated with the Certification Center ofthe University of Maryland College of Education toensure a steady supply of certified Chinese languageteachers for Maryland public schools. Since itsestablishment， the Certification Center awardeddegrees and certified numerous teachers， providingface-to-face and online professional developmentopportunities for educators throughout the region.This program continues to operate today.

例如，如何將中文和文化課融入馬里蘭大學校園附近一所小學的日常教學？在孔院的支持下，馬里蘭大學附近的這所學校成為當地唯一一所提供中文沉浸式和中文STEM 項目（科學、技術、工程和數學）的小學。該校建立了孔子課堂，并于2014 年從幼兒園開始啟動中文部分沉浸式項目，到2019 年，普通課程中的數學和科學課均使用中文授課。學校在有趣和有益的環(huán)境中開設嚴謹的中文學術課程，這樣不僅幫助學生實現學術目標，還有益于學生發(fā)展雙語和雙文化能力，為他們參與多元社會提供所需的技能。孔院還為一些五年級學生及其教師、校長和家長提供支持，邀請他們訪問中國并親身體驗中國文化，這些經歷將改變部分學生的人生。在2022 年，國家學校董事會協會表彰了該項目及其教師，授予沉浸式項目2022 年銀質大獎（Silver Magna Award），該獎項旨在表彰那些為弱勢學生消除障礙的學區(qū)。

For example， how a local school integratedChinese language and culture into its day-to-daylearning occurred at a local elementary schoollocated near the University of Maryland campus？With support from the CIM， the school was the firstand only elementary school in the local area to offerChinese immersion and Chinese STEM programs.The school first established Confucius Classroomsand then in 2014， the school started its Chineselanguage partial immersion program startingfrom Kindergarten. By the year of 2019， math andscience in all grade levels in general classrooms weretaught in Chinese. By providing a series of rigorousChinese academic programs in a fun and supportiveenvironment， the school curriculum not onlyhelped students reach their academic goals， but alsoallowed students to develop a bilingual， biliterate andbicultural background， which provided them withthe skills needed to participate in a diverse society. Inwhat was to become a life-changing event for thoseinvolved， the CIM provided support and guidance fora group of fifth graders and their teachers， principalfrom the school， even their parents to visit Chinaand experience the culture first hand. In 2022， theNational School Boards Association honored theprogram and its teachers， granting the immersionprogram the 2022 Silver Magna Award which honorsschool districts that remove barriers to underservedstudents.

此外， 該孔院還為所有年齡段的學習者提供非學分中文課程，從幼兒到職場專業(yè)人士及退休人員。這些課程創(chuàng)造了一個獨特的不同年齡人一起的學習環(huán)境，他們中有的是希望在大學中文課程中獲得更多支持的大學生，有的是將學習語言作為一種愛好、為旅行或商務而學習的社區(qū)成員。經常有5 歲的孩子和80 歲的祖父一起學習。

Beyond its K-12 outreach， the CIM offerednon-credit Chinese language classes for learners of allages， from young children to working professionalsand retirees. These classes created a unique multigenerationallearning environment， fostering a sharedpassion for the language and culture. Some studentswere university students who wanted to receivemore support in their university Chinese classes，but many were community members who wanted tolearn the language as a hobby， for travel or business.Often students as young as five years old would studyalongside an eighty-year-old grandfather.

測試與競賽

Testing and competitions

馬里蘭大學孔院在中文測試管理方面成績卓然，每年HSK/YCT考試注冊多達1 000人。該測試點被公認為北美地區(qū)中文測試發(fā)展的模范。

The CIM became a leader in test administrationfor the Chinese language， registering up to 1，000individuals annually. Its testing site was recognizedas a model for Chinese test development in NorthAmerica.

此外，該孔院還組織“漢語橋”語言比賽，面向華盛頓特區(qū)的大學生。最終，活動吸引了來自全美國的學生，他們在馬里蘭大學校園，通過各種表演和比賽展示其語言技能和文化知識。他們的表演充滿了歡樂和創(chuàng)新。更令人興奮的是，每年該孔院還組織小學生和中學生的中文競賽，鼓勵孩子們學習中文，提高其中文學習、表演和競賽能力。

Additionally， the CIM hosted the excitingChinese Bridge Language Competition for universitystudents in the Washington， D.C. area. It eventuallyattracted students from across the United Stateswho traveled to the University of Marylandcampus to showcase their language skills and cultural knowledge through various performancesand competitions. There was great anticipation，innovation， and joy as college students performedand were judged based on their language skills. Butwhat was even more exciting was that each year， theCIM organized elementary and middle school levelsof Chinese language competition， which encouragedyounger children to learn and excel in Chineselanguage learning， performance and competition.

文化分享與慶?；顒?/p>

Culture sharing and celebrations

馬里蘭大學孔院組織了很多活動，孔院成立10周年慶典尤其令人難忘。那是在大學公園校區(qū)，大學的許多師生、K—12學生和當地社區(qū)的人都參與了。慶典活動有迷人的舞獅、雜技、戲曲表演和音樂，向觀眾展示了中國文化的豐富多樣性。那是一個美麗的秋天，氣溫宜人，天空湛藍，非常適合戶外活動。慶典以舞獅開始——這是令人難忘的表演！舞獅通常在特別的慶?；顒雍蛢x式中才有，或為了歡迎特別嘉賓，是開始慶祝的合適方式。舞蹈、雜技、戲曲和音樂，來自中國藝術家的表演讓所有觀眾在整個慶祝日都感到驚嘆。此外，每個參加孔院活動的學校團體都受邀表演——這非常受觀眾的歡迎。

The CIM offered many opportunities forstudents and local citizens to participate in Chineseevents and celebrations. One particularly memorableevent was the CIM’s 10th anniversary celebration，where the College Park campus hosted a vibrantConfucius Institute Day. To help celebrate， manyUniversity of Maryland students and faculty， K-12students， and local community people participated inthe revelry. The festivities featured a captivating liondance， acrobatics， opera performances， and music，showcasing the rich tapestry of Chinese culture toawestruck audiences. It was a gorgeous fall day withwarm temperatures and a blue sky， just perfect foran outdoor event. The festival opened with the LionDance—something those in attendance will not soonforget！ This dance that mimics a lion’s movements bydancers sharing an elaborate lion costume is performedduring Chinese traditional， cultural， and religiousfestivals; special celebrations and ceremonies; or to honor special guests. It was an appropriate way to beginthe celebration. Dances， acrobatics， opera， and music，many featuring artists who traveled from China toperform， kept all the audiences awestruck throughoutthe day of celebration. In addition， each school groupthat attended was invited to perform for the crowd —which was very well-received by the audience.

三年后，另一個周年紀念引起了極大的關注：來自馬里蘭州和美國各地的中小學校長、家長以及學生代表再次聚集在一起，慶?？自撼闪?3周年。在聚會上，聽到的多是孩子們的生活因為學習中文和中國文化而變得更加豐富多彩的故事。一位老師說，她學校的孔子課堂已經成為許多學生想到這所學校讀書的原因。

Three years later， another anniversary captureda great deal of attention. Middle and primary schoolprincipals， parents and student representativesfrom the state of Maryland and even across theUnited States， gathered once again to celebrate the13th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at theUniversity of Maryland. At the gathering， it was oftenoverheard that the lives of the children have beenenriched due to Chinese language and culture learning.One teacher who attended the 13th anniversarycelebration explained that the Confucius Classroomestablished in her school had become the reason thatmany students wanted to attend the school.

廣泛的語言、文化和學習活動

A wide range of language， cultural，and learning activities

馬里蘭大學孔院在促進中國與當地社區(qū)之間的學術和藝術合作方面發(fā)揮了重要作用。以下是一些例子。

The CIM played a significant role in fosteringcultural exchange， promoting Chinese languagelearning， and facilitating academic and artistic collaborationsbetween China and the local communitythrough the various activities they supported andpromoted. Some of the examples are listed below.

中文語言和文化沉浸式項目：孔院為K—12學生組織了沉浸式項目和夏令營，提供深入了解中文和中國文化的機會。這些項目將語言與書法、武術或傳統手工藝相結合。其中一個項目，中文和中國文化夏令營，每年運行數周，為不同年齡和水平的學生提供了獨特的學習體驗。

Chinese Language and Culture ImmersionPrograms： The CIM organized immersive programsand summer camps for K-12 students， providingopportunities for them to delve deeper intoChinese language and culture. These programscombined language l e ssons wi th cul turalactivities， such as calligraphy， martial arts， andtraditional arts and crafts. One such program， theChinese Language and Culture Summer Camp，ran for several weeks each year， offering a uniquelearning experience for students of various agesand proficiency levels.

系列講座和學術會議：孔院定期主辦系列講座和學術會議，邀請來自中美兩國的學者、研究人員和專家，就與中國文化、歷史、政治和社會相關的話題進行討論。這一活動為討論中美關系和全球事務提供了平臺，吸引了來自大學社區(qū)及更廣泛領域的參與者。

Lecture Series and Academic Conferences：The CIM hosted regular lecture series and academicconferences， bringing together scholars， researchers，and experts from China and the United States to discussa wide range of topics related to Chinese culture，history， politics， and society. This event provided aplatform for discussing Sino-US relations and globalaffairs， attracting participants from the universitycommunity and beyond.

中文電影節(jié)：孔院每年組織中文電影節(jié)，展示了多樣化的當代和經典中文電影。2019年，中文電影節(jié)推出了一系列備受贊譽的電影，包括獲獎作品和獨立制作的電影，并伴有與電影制作人和學者的討論和問答環(huán)節(jié)。

Chinese Film Festival： The CIM organizes ChineseFilm Festival every year， showcasing a diverseselection of contemporary and classic Chinese movies.In 2019， the CIM’s Chinese Film Festival featureda lineup of acclaimed films， including award-winningtitles and independent productions， accompanied bydiscussions and Q&A sessions with filmmakers andscholars.

藝術展覽和工作坊：孔院致力于與華盛頓特區(qū)之間的文化交流和分享?？自貉埩酥袊囆g家，組織展覽，并就中國書法、繪畫、戲劇、電影和其他藝術形式舉辦講座和進行現場示范。

Art Exhibitions and Workshops： The CIMalso focused on the exchange and sharing of culturewith the Washington D.C. area. The CIM has invitedartists from China to assemble exhibitions and givetalks and demonstrations on Chinese calligraphy，painting， theater， movies， and other arts.

影響與歷史見證

Impact and legacy

馬里蘭大學孔院加強了中美兩國在教育和文化交流方面的合作，增進了相互理解和友誼。它在促進中文學習、文化交流和相互理解方面，在馬里蘭州甚至全美國都發(fā)揮了積極的作用。馬里蘭大學孔子學院以其“美國首個孔子學院”的稱號感到自豪。其作為中文和中國文化重要學習空間的歷史見證，將在未來繼續(xù)產生影響。

The CIM played a vital role in strengthening cooperationin education and cultural communicationbetween China and the United States， meanwhileimproving mutual understanding and friendship.Its impact on promoting Chinese language learning，cultural exchange， and mutual understanding playedan important role in the State of Maryland even allparts of the United States. The CIM is proud of itsdesignation as the first Confucius Institute in theUnited States， and its legacy as an important learningspace for Chinese language and culture will be feltinto the future.