On 18th September 2025, the Chinese language programme at the “Dr Petar Beron” Secondary School – a teaching centre affiliated with the Confucius Institute in Sofia, has officially started, thus introducing an Eastern language teaching for the first time in the school. The opening ceremony has been attended by Mrs Aksiniya Koleva – the Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, by Prof. Chen Ying - the Chinese director of CIS, by Mr Li Xiangdong – a teacher at CIS, and almost sixty third- and fourth-graders from the two Chinese language classes at the school.
Mrs Aksinya Koleva – the Bulgarian director of CIS, has provided a brief introduction of the Chinese characters and the pinyin, highlighting some key considerations for the Bulgarian students during their initial stages of learning Chinese. The teacher Mr Li Xiangdong, having meticulously prepared his teaching content, has delivered the first Chinese lesson to the students who have warmly welcomed it.
Earlier this month, on the 15th September, the “Dr Petar Beron” Secondary School have held their opening ceremony for the new academic year. The event has been attended by the Bulgarian Vice-President Mrs Iliana Yotova, who is also an alumna of the school. The Chinese and the Bulgarian directors of the Confucius Institute in Sofia have also been invited to and have attended the ceremony.
The “Dr Petar Beron” Secondary School has been established in 1944. It is the largest municipal school in the town of Kostinbrod with almost seven hundred students. The school students have been awarded numerous awards in competitions at various levels across the fields of science, arts, and sports.
The Confucius Institute in Sofia
Text: Chen Chen
Photos: “Dr Petar Beron” Secondary School, Prof. Chen Ying
Editors: Prof. Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva
English translation: Maya Kostadinova
Picture 1: The Vice-President Mrs Iliana Yotova is talking to the Bulgarian director Mrs Aksiniya Koleva.
Picture 2: The Bulgarian director Mrs Aksiniya Koleva is introducing the Chinese langauage to the students.