George Njoroge, Principal of the College of Education at the University of Rwanda, delivers a speech prior to the performances at the University of Rwanda in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, on July 10, 2019. Confucius Institute at the University of Rwanda on Wednesday held performances to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the institute. (Xinhua/Gabriel Dusabe)

KIGALI, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Confucius Institute at the University of Rwanda on Wednesday held performances to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the institute.

Confucius Institute at the University of Rwanda, is established in 2009 under the partnership between China's Chongqing Normal University and the University of Rwanda.

Over 300 people from China and Rwanda watched the performances held at the University of Rwanda campus in Rwanda's capital city of Kigali.

Rwandan students from GSOB Secondary School in Southern Province kicked off the show with a chorus in Chinese, followed by Chinese Tai Chi, dancing, crosstalk and other performances staged by students from the Confucius Institute's different teaching locations across the country.

Confucius Institute at the University of Rwanda is the first Confucius institute established by the Chongqing Normal University, which serves as its starting point of establishing Confucius institutes in different continents, said Chen Zhijun, vice-president of the Chongqing Normal University, shortly before the performances.

Since 2009, Confucius Institute at the University of Rwanda has been expanding the scale to meet the needs of learning the Chinese language and culture for Rwandan people, said Chen, adding that the number of registered students has been increasing from over 200 in 2009 to over 5,100 in 2019.

Young people hold the key to the future of the country, and the establishment of the Confucius Institute is meant to use skill and knowledge to empower the youth to explore their academic potential, said George Njoroge, principal of the College of Education at the University of Rwanda.

In the fast-changing world, knowing the Chinese language and culture will give students an advantage in competition with others, he said.

Confucius institute, named after ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, serves as a non-profit public institution to help foreigners better understand China through language teaching and culture introduction in universities overseas. The first such institute was established in 2004.

Rwandan students perform a chorus in Chinese at the University of Rwanda in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, on July 10, 2019. Confucius Institute at the University of Rwanda on Wednesday held performances to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the institute. (Xinhua/Gabriel Dusabe)