At Guilin forum, educators shift focus from language teaching to building bridges in an AI era.

November 22, 2025 | GUILIN

How do you teach a language in an age of AI? How does a classroom subject become a tool for global connection? These were the pressing questions at the heart of the Fourth Southern Forum on International Chinese Education, which drew over 100 scholars to Guilin this week.

The two-day gathering, hosted by Guangxi Normal University, signaled a strategic pivot for the field. The conversation moved beyond grammar drills and cultural introductions to tackle a more complex mandate: systematically building international Chinese education into a modern discipline that serves national strategy and global dialogue.

From Cornerstone to Catalyst

Li Xianxian, Vice President of Guangxi Normal University, set the tone by calling international Chinese education “a cornerstone of cultural exchange.” But he quickly pointed to the next stage: “We must build the discipline through digital tools, unified standards, and programs like ‘Chinese Plus’ that link language to real-world skills.”

This theme of expanded utility was echoed by Wu Jian, Chair of the Southern Alliance for International Chinese Education. “Our mission now aligns with broader national goals,” he stated, referencing the Belt and Road Initiative and the vision for a global community with a shared future. “We are evolving from teaching a language to facilitating understanding and cooperation.”

The New Tools of the Trade

The forum's agenda reflected this shift. Eight keynote speeches grappled with frontiers like AI’s role in personalized language learning and the “Chinese + vocational skills” model, which pairs language mastery with technical training for specific industries.

In parallel sessions, 39 scholars debated the nuts and bolts of this transformation: How to design curricula for a multilingual world? What digital resources are most effective? How can standards ensure quality without stifling innovation?

A Network in Action

Participants from institutions like Renmin University, East China Normal University, and the Education University of Hong Kong represented a growing professional network. The Southern Alliance itself, founded in 2022, exemplifies the collaborative push to make Chinese education a cross-disciplinary endeavor.

The underlying message was clear: The future of teaching Chinese abroad lies not just in perfecting accents, but in building durable educational frameworks, leveraging technology, and, ultimately, training a new generation of learners who are as comfortable with a technical manual or a business negotiation as they are with a classical poem.

The forum in Guilin may have been a meeting of scholars, but its conclusions are intended to ripple outward-reshaping classrooms, influencing policy, and redefining what it means to learn Chinese in the 21st century.

Opening ceremony of the Fourth Southern Forum on International Chinese Education

Professor Li Xianxian, Vice President of Guangxi Normal University, delivers remarks

Professor Wu Jian, Chair of the Southern Alliance for International Chinese Education and former Vice President of South China Normal University, delivers remarks

Expert delivers a keynote speech