It is generally believed that Indonesia's neighboring country China has the largest foreign exchange reserves in the world, but in fact, China has a huge influence in almost all industries. Especially with the opening up of Asian trade and the more well-known free trade, the importance of China and Mandarin Chinese is becoming increasingly prominent. It is precisely because of this opportunity that since the establishment of Confucius Institutes more than ten years ago, Indonesian youth have burst out with great enthusiasm for learning Mandarin Chinese. In the past, learning Mandarin Chinese was a problem - apart from "formal" institutions that did not provide learning venues, the government was also extremely sensitive to this.

Nowadays, people realize that mastering Mandarin can bring them more opportunities for success in the workplace. This view is reasonable in the context of Indonesia and other countries around the world turning to China. The world can ignore China's role in trade, but it cannot avoid the fact that almost all the electrical appliances needed in people's daily activities are made in China.

As a recognized great power, China is following the tradition of a great power (like a tit for tat) and building Confucius Institutes in various countries around the world. The goal of Confucius Institutes is to introduce Chinese culture through language learning. This is in line with the goals of the British Council, the Dutch Erasmus Huis, the Goethe Institute in Germany, and the French Language Alliance in France. Confucius Institutes are a project promoted by the Chinese government with the goal of establishing 100 Confucius Institutes on various continents to help China play a role in the world. Nowadays, dozens of Confucius Institutes have been established in many countries such as the United States, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and even third world countries like Bangladesh.

Around 2010, Indonesia established six Confucius Institutes, among which Surabaya National University is one of the universities that has established a cooperative relationship with Confucius Institutes since 2011. Why is university the gateway to spreading Chinese culture and language? This article attempts to explore the role of Confucius Institutes in Indonesian higher education, including: firstly, the role of Confucius Institutes in Indonesian higher education; Secondly, the relationship between Confucius Institutes and Surabaya National University; The third is to explore the success factors of Confucius Institutes in spreading Chinese language and culture, and provide suggestions on how to improve the reputation of Confucius Institutes.

The role of Confucius Institutes in higher education in Indonesia

In the process of Indonesia's development towards an advanced and civilized country, higher education in Indonesia has played at least two roles: firstly, it is a driving force for change; Secondly, universities are creators and supporters of new ideas. Universities play a huge role in developing Indonesia's human resources, especially as pioneers with the ability to design, promote, and innovate social development, their position is prominent. Higher education is the creator and supporter of new ideas, and universities have made significant contributions to knowledge progress and social development; As a driving force for knowledge progress and social development, higher education plays a crucial strategic role in national construction.

As for the strategic role of universities, Bambang Soesatyo (Indonesian politician, businessman, member of the Professional Group Party, elected as Speaker of Parliament in early 2018, translator's note) further elaborated on this at the graduation ceremony of the National University in Jakarta. He said that as clearly stipulated in the Higher Education Regulations, as a platform for learning oriented students and communities, universities, on the one hand, cultivate future leaders for the country; On the other hand, it is also the center of scientific development, moral strength, and national civilization development.

In the history of human civilization, whether as a manager leading the application of values or as a source of generating new social values, the academic community has always been at the center. Sometimes, the academic community is set as a conservative of a specific value of system power, or manipulated by a certain system power; Sometimes, academia becomes a spring of social change. Both of these situations imply the following essence: the academic community is full of freedom and open mindedness. If in the first scenario, the academic community remains silent and is consciously used to suppress independent thinking, then the academic community in these two situations plays its original role as a source of ideas for improving life and defining the meaning of human existence.

In recent years, some of our higher education institutions have always hoped to develop towards the direction of "research-oriented universities". This idea is well founded. In the process of globalization, competition among higher education institutions is becoming increasingly fierce, and the quality of products produced by higher education institutions is becoming a demand. Indeed, research capability will determine the survival of future higher education institutions.

What is the role of Confucius Institutes in higher education in Indonesia? Firstly, Confucius Institutes in Indonesia serve as a trigger. At the beginning of the establishment of Confucius Institutes, there were indeed some controversies and conflicts. However, now Confucius Institutes have been widely accepted by all parties. This is partly attributed to universities, where students and scholars are open-minded and aware that the global era has arrived. They noticed that Confucius Institutes, as agents of change, are able to accept all new things that support national progress.

Secondly, Confucius Institutes are the database of higher education in Indonesia. Due to many Indonesian universities claiming to be so-called "research-oriented" universities, Confucius Institutes have become the subject of related research. Universities with Chinese departments even have more advantages, as their students can access topics related to Chinese and Confucius Institutes, and the research is sustainable. Amelia and Adriani (2016), Lan (2017), Ansori (2017), Theo and Leung (2018) have conducted research on such issues.

For most universities, possessing the ability to recognize the truth and accurately grasp the crux of social problems is a daunting task. This ability can only be improved when the minimum requirements of the university are met, including sufficient campus infrastructure, experimental equipment, a functional library, and a team of lecturers ready to fight at any time, that is, a highly professional and dedicated teaching staff. Closely related to enhancing the willingness and ability of higher education institutions to recognize social facts is the development of campus culture, which requires a change in the community and students' imagination of academic life. Academic life requires a certain level of intellectual ability, namely the ability to analyze, criticize, and construct (see Part Three for details).

Today, an open campus culture should have the ability to promote globalization and democratization of human life. Whether a university can support future development depends on its ability to provide reasonable solutions to the future industrial society.

Confucius Institutes and Surabaya National University

（1） Confucius Institute Building

The completion of the Confucius Institute Building marks the official establishment of the Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University. Chinese Consul General in Surabaya, Wang Huagen, presided over the completion ceremony of the building and, together with Mr. Muclas Samani, President of Surabaya National University, cut the ribbon (see Figures 1 and 2), witnessed this historic moment. Mr. Wang expressed his pleasure at the establishment of the Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University, as the demand for Chinese language in Indonesia is increasing; Similarly, China's enthusiasm for learning Indonesian is also growing, and many universities in China have offered Indonesian language courses. Mr. Wang finally said, "We will support more Indonesian students to study Chinese and exchange culture in China

图1 王华根（中国驻泗水总领事）和穆克拉斯·萨马尼（泗水国立大学校长）出席孔子学院开幕式

Figure 1 Wang Huagen (Consul General of China in Surabaya) and Moklas Samani (President of Surabaya National University) attend the opening ceremony of the Confucius Institute

图2 泗水国立大学的孔子学院

Figure 2 Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University

Mukras Samani, President of Surabaya National University, expressed his hope during the ceremony that Confucius Institutes should not only be a place for learning Chinese, but also a place for cultural exchange between Indonesia and China. He said that learning language and culture can enhance mutual understanding.

图3 泗水国立大学孔子学院的外方院长阿里·穆斯塔法（Ali Mustofa）博士和中方院长肖任飞博士

Figure 3: Dr. Ali Mustafa, the foreign dean of the Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University, and Dr. Xiao Renfei, the Chinese dean

Dr. Ali Mustafa (see left in Figure 3) made great contributions to the establishment and smooth operation of the Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University. Before the establishment of the Confucius Institute, Dr. Ali Mustafa was the first person authorized by the president and fully involved in the negotiation process with the Chinese side. He is full of expectations for the success of the Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University, which has played an important role in connecting Surabaya National University and Confucius Institute, as well as facilitating exchanges between Indonesia and China. In the development of the Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University, Dr. Xiao Renfei, the Chinese dean (see figure 3 on the right), is another key figure. He is very dedicated, hardworking, and highly professional.

（2） Establishment of Chinese Learning Projects

After the establishment of the Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University, preparations for the implementation of Chinese language learning programs began immediately. This project belongs to the School of Language and Arts (see Figure 4). In July 2010, the Ministry of Higher Education approved the establishment of a Chinese language teaching plan, and on January 12, 2011, a permit was issued. The Chinese teaching plan took a very short time from preparation to approval, which inspired the faculty to devote great enthusiasm to project implementation.

图4 泗水国立大学孔子学院的详细信息

Figure 4: Detailed Information of Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University

The purpose of the Chinese learning project is to:

Firstly, meet the professional and competency requirements of Chinese language teaching personnel;

Secondly, meet the employment needs of productive and creative workers;

Thirdly, meet the community's demand for Chinese language teaching information;

Fourth, establish a Chinese language teaching development center.

This project has attracted widespread social attention due to its benefits for students' intellectual development, and the number of registered students has been increasing year by year (see Table 1). This also indicates that society's trust in the project is increasing day by day, as people have realized that learning Chinese can not only become a professional teacher, but also bring development prospects to other industries, including trade.

表1 中文系成立以来的学生人数

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Table 1: Number of Students in the Chinese Department Since Its Establishment

As Alim Markus, the owner of the Maspion Group, said, Chinese is a tool for social communication, especially evident in the economic field. Indonesian is the mother tongue, English is the international language, but "if you are a businessman and want to succeed, then you must learn Chinese because the 'economic language' is Chinese".

Three successful examples of spreading Chinese language and culture

Since its establishment in 2008, the Confucius Institute in Indonesia has successfully established good relationships with the Indonesian people and institutions. In 2010, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and China, the two governments jointly announced the establishment of six Confucius Institutes in Indonesian universities, namely: Maranada Christian University in Bandung (West Java, Indonesia), Malang National University (East Java, Indonesia), Allaza University (Jakarta Special Zone), Tanjung Bula University (West Kalimantan, Indonesia), Surabaya National University (East Java, Indonesia), and Hasanuddin University in Makassar (South Sulawesi, Indonesia). In addition, on March 11, 2019, Xihua University and Indonesia's 311 University held the unveiling ceremony of the Confucius Institute in Solo, Central Java, which is also the seventh Confucius Institute in Indonesia. The date of establishment of Confucius Institutes in Indonesia is shown in Table 2.

表2 印尼高校与中国高校合作建立孔子学院

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Table 2: Collaboration between Indonesian and Chinese Universities to Establish Confucius Institutes

In East Java, Chinese culture has a wide social influence and is extremely popular, beyond imagination. The Chinese Consul General in Surabaya has devoted a lot of effort to the development of Confucius Institutes. In 2015-2016 alone, the media repeatedly captured the image of Ms. Yu Hong, the Chinese Consul General in Surabaya, rushing around. Ms. Yu Hong actively participates in many activities related to Islam. During Ramadan, she entered the Grand Mosque, participated in fundraising and charity activities, visited SD Muhammadiyah 7, and so on. The following screenshots (see Figure 5 and Figures 6-9) are only a part of the many Chinese language and culture promotion activities that Ms. Yu Hong participated in.

图5 2015～2016年，中国驻泗水总领事于红参加的部分中国语言文化推广活动

Figure 5: From 2015 to 2016, the Chinese Consul General in Surabaya, Yu Hong, participated in some Chinese language and culture promotion activities

图6 2015年7月7日，中国驻泗水总领事于红率中国驻泗水总领馆部分外交官赴大清真寺参加斋月筹款活动，向部分贫困家庭和孤儿捐款

On July 7, 2015, Chinese Consul General in Surabaya, Yu Hong, led some diplomats of the Chinese Consulate General in Surabaya to participate in the Ramadan fundraising event at the Grand Mosque, donating to some impoverished families and orphans

图7 2015年6月10日，中国驻泗水总领事于红参观了“穆罕默德迪亚17”小学，并向该校学生捐赠了字典

On June 10, 2015, the Chinese Consul General in Surabaya, Yu Hong, visited the "Mohammadiya 17" Primary School and donated a dictionary to the students there

图8 2015年7月15日，中国驻泗水总领事于红出席在泗水郑和清真寺举行的斋月慈善活动，向约500名孤儿捐赠了食品袋

On July 15, 2015, Chinese Consul General in Surabaya, Yu Hong, attended a Ramadan charity event held at the Zhenghe Mosque in Surabaya and donated food bags to about 500 orphans

Surabaya National University has attracted the attention of Confucius Institutes and the Consul General in Surabaya for launching a Chinese language learning program in 2010. During the annual Chinese Culture Week, teachers and students of the Chinese Department organize a variety of activities, including Chinese speech contests, reading, writing, and dance; The Confucius Institute and the Chinese Department will also jointly hold celebration activities on the annual anniversary of the Confucius Institute.

图9 2016年5月27日，中国驻泗水总领事于红女士出席了印尼泗水国立大学孔子学院成立五周年庆典

On May 27, 2016, Ms. Yu Hong, Consul General of China in Surabaya, attended the 5th anniversary celebration of the Confucius Institute at Surabaya National University in Indonesia

The Confucius Institutes have become a bridge for communication between China and Islamic institutions, indicating the effectiveness of social interaction and partnership building efforts between China and Indonesia. Muhammadiyah (abbreviated as Muhammadiyah) is a typical example. Mohammadia is the second largest organization of Indonesian Muslims, with hundreds of universities across the country. The head of the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) once happily stated, "We know that Mohammadia is an organization with experience managing hundreds of universities. If these universities can cooperate with us, we would be honored. Especially now, we have opened Chinese learning points in 150 places, which allows Mohammadia students and Confucius Institute teachers to learn and teach Chinese in Indonesia

Many leaders of Indonesian organizations, including Mohammadia, believe that strengthening relationships with Indonesian partners is particularly important in response to the era of globalization (see Figure 10). During a visit to Tsinghua University, Dr. Haedar Nashir, President of Mohammadia, stated, "Currently, cooperation among Asian universities in developing human resources is very important. In the future, we will become an undeniable force on the global stage." Professor Yang Bin, Vice President of Tsinghua University, responded positively to this, stating that Indonesia is an impressive country.

图10 穆罕默迪亚领导代表与中国孔子学院总部（汉办）领导举行会议

Figure 10: A meeting was held between representatives of the Mohammadia leadership and leaders of the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) in China

Mohammadia University, which has established partnerships with Confucius Institutes, includes Malang Mohammadia University, Ahmad Daran University (UAD) in Yogyakarta, Professor Muhammad Hamka University (Uhamka) in Jakarta, and some Mohammadia universities are also continuing to follow up. It is particularly important to emphasize that the strategic partnership between Malang Mohammadia University and Confucius Institutes in China has entered a new stage of deep development. In addition to teacher-student exchanges, Malang Mohammadia University also collaborates with Confucius Institutes to organize Chinese cultural exhibitions and performances (see Figure 11). Another Islamic university is Al Arabi University, which has been a leader in collaborating with Confucius Institutes since 2010.

图11 2015年4月10日，玛琅穆罕默迪亚大学与孔子学院共同举办中国文化演出

On April 10, 2015, Malang Mohammadia University and Confucius Institute jointly held a Chinese cultural performance

Confucius Institutes aim to promote and facilitate people's learning of Chinese language and culture, and are highly welcomed by all sectors. At the 10th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the world's first Confucius Institute, students from the Chinese Department of Surabaya National University gathered in the FBS T2 building auditorium and performed many programs, including singing Chinese songs, dancing Xinjiang dance, and performing martial arts, showcasing the charm of Chinese culture (see Figures 12-14); The students who had just returned from studying in China also showcased Aqi's Saman Dance from Aceh. Although the time was short, this event left a particularly deep impression on every Chinese language student.

The latest two events at Malang Mohammadia University and Surabaya National University indicate that the secret to the success of spreading Chinese culture among young Indonesians lies in "accommodation". This means that the combination of two cultures creates a new culture, but at the same time does not lose the original elements of their respective cultures. Indonesian Muslims hold an open and inclusive attitude towards Chinese culture, and adhere to Indonesian culture and Islamic faith. The dance "Burmese Osmanthus Blossoms with Fragrance" performed by Indonesian Chinese students is a typical example. As shown in Figure 12, the performers are dressed in Muslim clothing and wrapped in scarves to showcase the beauty of Chinese art.

图12 中文系学生在泗水国立大学家长会上表演舞蹈《缅桂花开朵朵香》

Figure 12: Chinese Department students perform the dance "Burmese Osmanthus Blossoms with Fragrance" at the parent teacher conference of Surabaya National University

图13 孔子学院周年庆

Figure 13: Anniversary Celebration of Confucius Institutes

图14 泗水国立大学中文系主任与学生们在一起

Figure 14: The Head of the Chinese Department at Surabaya National University is with the students

Suggestions for Promoting the Great Development of Confucius Institutes

This section includes two aspects: implementation procedures and future plans related to the dissemination of Chinese culture. Although these recommendations reflect certain special needs of Surabaya National University, they are equally applicable to other universities and groups.

In 2010, with the assistance of Central China Normal University, the Chinese language learning program at the Confucius Institute of Surabaya National University was launched simultaneously, and the results are now evident.

Firstly, teachers from China teach directly. There are 12 Chinese teachers working at the Confucius Institute of Surabaya National University. Under the guidance of these teachers, students' Chinese language skills have made rapid progress, not only mastering Chinese language skills, but also learning Chinese culture such as traditional Chinese dance and calligraphy. The students of Surabaya National University have achieved fruitful results and remarkable achievements.

Secondly, since 2013, Surabaya National University has selected students to study in China, with flexible study periods of one semester, one year, or graduate level. Up to now, 20 students have received full scholarships from Confucius Institutes and studied at Central China Normal University for one year; More than 50 students have been given the opportunity to study Chinese in China (see Figure 15).

图15 印尼学生参加中方组织的学生夏令营

Figure 15 Indonesian students participating in Chinese organized student summer camp

Thirdly, the Chinese Culture Exhibition initiated by Confucius Institutes and jointly organized with the Chinese Department has become a traditional program of Surabaya National University; At the same time, various competitions related to Chinese language and culture were also held.

Fourthly, Surabaya National University has received many visiting scholars from Chinese universities.

Fifth, organize summer camps.

Although we have achieved the above results, there are still many areas that need improvement. We propose the following six suggestions.

Firstly, providing books and other readable materials is crucial for teachers and students to complete their tasks and submit their final results.

Secondly, as the largest website in China for sharing academic papers and journal resources, if China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) can be provided for free to teachers and students of Surabaya National University, it will enable them to have greater and better gains, especially in education and culture.

Thirdly, provide opportunities for Indonesians to introduce Indonesian culture to China. We should not only let Indonesians understand China, but also let Chinese people become more familiar with the Indonesian culture that is directly related to the local culture.

Fourthly, provide high school Chinese teachers with the opportunity to experience the great China and its splendid culture firsthand. This can inspire them to devote themselves to Chinese language teaching and motivate students to learn more enthusiastically. In addition, it is also beneficial to make the Chinese education and teaching layout in Indonesia more rational and evenly distributed.

Fifth, provide opportunities for teachers and students to visit and learn from various Confucius Institutes in Indonesia, promote closer relationships between Confucius Institutes in Indonesia, and foster seamless integration between Confucius Institutes and relevant universities.

Sixth, provide teaching buildings for the Chinese Department and Chinese Language Center at Lidah Wetan Campus of Surabaya National University. At present, students and others have to rush from the Lida Weitan campus 15 kilometers away to the Confucius Institute teaching building in Jl. Moestopo to learn Chinese. Such a long distance makes learning Chinese a burden for students and those living in the Sishui region, reducing their enthusiasm for learning. In addition, the office conditions of Chinese department teachers are far from meeting the prescribed standards, and classrooms also need maintenance. As of now, the English, Indonesian, Javanese, and German departments share the Chinese building. The perfect arrangement would be for the Confucius Institute and the Chinese Department to share a Chinese style teaching building.

In addition to attracting more young Indonesians to participate in Chinese language teaching, these suggestions also hope to stimulate the enthusiasm of Indonesians to learn Chinese language and culture through the above measures, making Chinese more widely accepted and influential in Indonesia. Increasing investment in promoting Chinese language and culture in Indonesia can not only lay a solid foundation for the development of better bilateral relations between Indonesia and China, but also deepen the in-depth cooperation between the two governments in a wider range of fields.

conclusion

Introducing and promoting Chinese language and culture through universities, complementing Confucius Institutes, is a correct approach. The open mindedness of universities and the promotion of rationality over sensibility have brought about vast development opportunities with the establishment of Confucius Institutes. University graduates, especially those from the Chinese Department of Surabaya National University, will become Chinese teachers in primary and secondary schools. The speed, quantity, and rigorous structure of the spread of Chinese to the younger generation in Indonesia are unimaginable. This precisely confirms the linguist's viewpoint that education is an effective way to instill language.

The Confucius Institute and Surabaya National University have a "spiritual connection" and support each other. At various stages of the launch, establishment, and development of the Confucius Institute and Chinese language teaching projects, they have worked together to achieve the planned goals. The huge support from Confucius Institutes to Surabaya National University is the provision of Chinese teachers for the Chinese Department and the establishment of cooperative relationships between Surabaya National University and other universities with Confucius Institutes. This also means that, on the one hand, Confucius Institutes have formed a network that covers numerous universities, including student networks, lecturer networks, department networks, faculty and staff networks, and even university networks; On the other hand, Confucius Institutes have many advantages in both material and non-material aspects.

The Confucius Institute has been established in Indonesia for nearly ten years now. The Confucius Institute, with the mission of promoting Chinese language and culture, has achieved astonishing success in Indonesia. The Chinese language has been welcomed and supported by various sectors of society, and what is even more surprising is that the Confucius Institute has successfully cooperated with some influential Islamic organizations and universities. In short, the success of Confucius Institutes and their affiliated institutions lies in making Indonesians' attitudes towards China more positive and proactive, and creating a "cultural adaptation" between China and Indonesia.

Although China has successfully implemented some projects through Confucius Institutes, there are still some areas that can be improved. The suggestions listed in this article are all related to education: providing more reference materials on China and the Chinese language, opening up channels for more people, especially middle school Chinese teachers, to enter China, providing more teaching media and scholarships, establishing partnerships, and building Chinese centers to integrate Confucius Institutes and Chinese department resources.