It was founded at the West Attica University Confucius Institute in collaboration with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, on 30/6. Confucius Institutes are non-profit educational organizations around the world supported by the Chinese government with the aim of spreading Chinese culture, Chinese language and creating a bridge of communication and cultivating a climate of friendship between peoples through cultural and educational exchanges and cooperation. The present Institute is of special interest as its main priority is to deal with Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Rector of the University of West Attica, Professor Panagiotis E. Kaldis, welcoming the Chinese delegation led by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Greece, Mr. Xiao Junzheng at the foundation ceremony, he pointed out that UniWA is a Higher Educational Institution that is distinguished for its rapid development, taking into account its remarkable international performance, the excellent results obtained in the evaluations of its undergraduate programmes, which lead to internationally sought-after professional qualifications and lay the foundations for further scientific advancement.
The creation of the Confucius Institute at UniWa in collaboration with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mr. Kaldis stressed, is a first-choice strategy in the development of bilateral relations of communication, understanding and promotion of culture, which strengthens Greek-Chinese relations, while at the same time promoting innovation and the production of new knowledge in the holistic promotion of health and wellness.
The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Greece, Mr. Xiao Junzheng expressed his sincere thanks to the Rector of PADA and to all those who contributed to the creation of the Confucius Institute, which demonstrates the firm confidence of both sides in further strengthening and deepening mutual learning. He stressed that there are striking similarities in the ancient civilizations of the two countries, noting that more than two thousand years ago, they not only gave birth to great philosophers such as Confucius, Laozi, Plato and Aristotle at the same time, but also opened the chapter of human medicine at almost the same time. He also pointed out that as traditional holistic healing systems, Greek medicine and Chinese medicine seek to harmonize the health of the individual with the universal life forces of nature and the world.
Vice President of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Professor Wang Yongjun said, among other things, that the ties of friendship and cooperation will help more people understand Chinese culture and Chinese medicine.
In his address, the Professor of the Department of Physiotherapy of the Faculty of Health and Welfare Sciences of the PADA and Director of the Institute, George Georgoudis noted that the inauguration ceremony marks the completion of a successful effort that lasted for more than six years between the two universities in order to create an official institution of academic cooperation and stressed that the integration of the various methods and techniques of Traditional Chinese Medicine in modern therapeutics will take place based on the rules and principles of modern science and the concept of evidence-based medicine.
The Chinese Director of the Institute, Associate Professor Xu Wenjie, stressed that the Institute will develop into an excellent academic unit with an emphasis on Chinese traditional medicine and the understanding between Chinese and Greek culture.
The person responsible for academic relations with Chinese universities, who also made a major contribution to the establishment of the Confucius Institute, is Aristides Kontogeorgis, Associate Professor of the Department of Tourism of PADA. The ceremony was also welcomed by the Vice Rector for Internationalization and Extroversion 2023-2027, Prof. Theodoros Xanthos and the Chairman of the Department of Tourism and Vice Rector for Administrative and Economic Affairs – Sustainable Development 2023-2027, Prof. Aristides Papagrigoriou.
Those attending the ceremony had the opportunity to relax and meditate by watching a QI GONG performance, which is a holistic system of coordinated posture and movement, breathing and meditation aimed at well-being and spirituality.
original article: (https://dialogoi.uniwa.gr/university/confucius-institute-sto-panepistimio-dytikis-attikis/)