Seventy Years of Chinese Language Education in Bulgaria and Suggestions for Future Development

Abstract

In 2023, Chinese language education in Bulgaria entered its 70th year. With the attention and unremitting efforts of both China and Bulgaria, the scale of Chinese language education in the latter has been expanding, and the number of Chinese language enthusiasts has continued to increase. It is especially worth mentioning that the Bulgarian Chinese Language Teaching Union, founded by 21 schools, has further strengthened the Bulgarian government’s support and recognition of Chinese language education. In order to ensure the quality and standardisation of Chinese language education, the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science has issued a ministerial decree officially promulgating a Chinese language syllabus in Bulgaria, which has established Chinese language curricular standards for schools conducting Chinese language teaching. This paper summarises the 70 years of development of Chinese language education in Bulgaria, its current scale, and the future demand for Chinese language education services in the country, as well as current challenges and recommendations for its development. In order to ensure the sustainable development of Chinese language education, it is proposed to accelerate the integration of Chinese language education into the local national education system in order to link the education and employment systems, which will help the cause of Chinese language education in Bulgaria to better meet the needs of the future and to provide students with a wider range of opportunities and choices.