Performers from Shanxi Art College perform during the opening ceremony of the 7th Confucius Institute Conference at the China National Convention Center, Beijing on Dec 16, 2012. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The annual conference is a grand gala of the Confucius institutes around the globe. It aims to foster close cooperation and exchange by drawing on the past experience, and advance the development of the Confucius institutes in a rapid and sound manner.

Up to now, there have been 400 Confucius institutes and over 500 Confucius classrooms set up in 108 countries. The number of students taking all kinds of Chinese tests has amounted to 500,000.