At the end of last year there were 440 Confucius Institutes, funded by the Chinese government, and 646 classrooms serving 850,000 students learning Chinese. They are scattered over 100 countries, the largest number in the US. 60 more institutes and 350 more classrooms are planned by the end of this year.

The Institutes are similar to the British Council. But whereas the British Council has no connection with the government, the Confucius Institutes are accused by some of being politicized and following the line dictated by Beijing. By others of simply steering discussion of China away from sensitive subjects, like the Dalai Lama and Tiananmen Square. The Economist, which published the above figures, also points out that the Confucius Institutes are expensive and have had little influence on the public perception of China. The Pew Research Center says 42% of Americans had a good impression of China in 2007, 37% in 2013. (The Economist)

The reality is that, while most people outside China are pitifully ignorant about that country’s culture and history, one thing they do know: China is ruled by a single party (only) thst cannot be voted out of power. It is significantly corrupt, and the manner by which an individual gets to the top of it is shrouded in a mystery that cannot be nice. In short, Chinese government is as un-Epicurean as you can get in 2014. I thought the Chinese President’s message, posted on this blog, described the Chinese government’s attitude well. But however the system is explained and justified, I prefer a form of democracy, however distorted out of shape by money and self-interest.