ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to show how a different picture can be revealed by adopting the lens of a global “cultural terrain of struggle” and the alternative analytical framework introduced. In the international context, however, there is a need to counter the existing “prejudice”, or misconceptions that discursively defined China outside its borders. Actually, China has made a gesture of reciprocity of adding French, Spanish and German to the national entrance exam paper of foreign languages in 2019 alongside English, Japanese and Russian. From an insider’s point of view, looking through the historical lens allows us to see that when China gains strength again, a sense of cultural pride ascends, making it feel closer to the heyday in history when Confucianism prevails. A different Director behind the wheel of the same Confucius Institute (CI) could mean taking different directions and paths, as each CI has a clear hallmark of the Director’s personal style, competence and perceptions of China.
