If you like autumn, put your hands in the air!
Fan Bingbing's "Queen style" in new play
Lingerie show at 2014 Miss China
J-10 fighters show aerobatic stunts in smog-free sky
Charming contestants of Shanghai Int’l Model Contest
Most amazing chi-pao beauties
7 deadly animal attacks
Picturesque autumn scenery of Hongshan Army Horse Ranch
Russia to launch 70 Proton rockets by 2020: official

A contestant tells a story about the twelve Chinese zodiac signs at the Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students in Adelaide, Australia. WANG GUANLUN / XINHUA
The educational department of East China's Jiangsu province will cooperate with foreign cities to set up 50 more Confucius Classes and three to five Confucius Institutes in two years, despite some criticism of the cultural project, according to the local government.
Ding Xiaochang, deputy director of the educational department, said that 200 volunteers and university teachers will be sent to Confucius Institutes and Classes from the province each year.
"We try to make the Confucius Institutes and Classes serve as a platform for educational, cultural and economic cooperation between China and other countries," Ding said. "The nonprofit program can forge friendships and mutual understanding if it is operated well."
According to the department, from 2008 to 2014, Jiangsu province established or helped set up 29 Confucius Institutes in Europe, North Americaand Africa.
Since 2004, when the first Confucius Institute was established in Uzbekistan, about 460 institutions and more than 710 Confucius Classrooms have been established in 123 countries and regions to teach the Chinese language and culture.
However, the establishment of Confucius Institutes and Classes has met with suspicion and criticism in some countries over the years, including some that have close ties with China.
In October, the educational department of Hunan province terminated its Confucius Institute program, which lasted less than five months, in Toronto, Canada, saying it had encountered unreasonable suspicions and unfair treatment.
Chen Li, a college teacher who worked for a Confucius Institute in Australia for one year, said the program should not be terminated because of ungrounded political criticism.
"People from different cultural backgrounds need to learn from each other to reach understanding," Chen said. "Simple termination or suspension of the Confucius Institutes will close the door to friendships between different countries."
To provide better teaching of Chinese culture and language, Jiangsu province is planning to compile new editions of textbooks for the Confucius Institutes, which will be easier for foreigners to understand.
The educational department also said that more emphasis will be placed on traditional Chinese culture instead of the popular and fashion cultures for learners to better understand the country.
It added that primary and middle school students, as well as college students, are welcomed to study in the province to communicate with residents and students.
In August, the provincial educational department launched a program that will grant 50,000 yuan ($8,180) to 90,000 yuan each year to qualified foreign students to attract 500,000 such students to study in Jiangsu every year.
World Pole Dance Championship in China
U.S. air force transport planes row up on base
Post-85s female pilots and their mission
Century-old public bath closes door in Beijing
Shocking! Photos of Chinese fighters revealed
Images of angels in white: At work v.s off work
Standard faces for each countries in the world
Netizens fall in love with champion swimmer Ning Zetao
Vibrant 21-year-old and her own Cheongsam brand
Top 10 most dangerous jobs in the world
Top 10 fifth generation jet fighters in the world
Top 10 Chinese goddesses
Top 20 hottest women in the world in 2014
Top 10 pure beauties in showbiz
Top 10 world's highest-paid models 2014
The most gorgeous Chinese women
Top 10 most handsome faces in AsiaDay|Week|Month