Chinese student art troupe touring universities in Southern Africa

A Chinese student art troupe sent by China Confucius Institute Headquarters on Sunday staged a Chinese art performance in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana.

The troupe comprised of students from China's Nanjing Tech University is on its art tour at six universities in three southern African countries. They came to the University of Botswana after concluding performances in South Africa. Namibia will be their last stop.

The art tour is part of the celebrations of the second annual Global Confucius Institutes Day. In 2014, Confucius Institute Headquarters designated September 27 as the Global Confucius Institute Day.

Confucius (551-479 BC), an educator and philosopher, founded the school of thought Confucianism that deeply influenced later Chinese generations. He was also the first Chinese person to set up private schools and enroll students from all walks of life.

He is believed to be born on Sept. 28. China started to conduct annual commemorations of Confucius from 478 BC, the year after his death.

The Confucius Institutes were established in 2004 as a tool to help non-native speakers learn the Chinese language.

"The performance is good, I like Tai-chi (a kind of Chinese martial art) most as music and actions are very attractive," said a student from the University of Botswana.

The University of Botswana has established Botswana's first Confucius Institute in 2009 under the partnership with Shanghai Normal University of China.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Botswana now has 12 teachers with above 4,700 graduates. Endit