Jinghan Zeng on the controversy and reality of Confucius Institutes and China–UK relations

This episode of Inside the China Room with Jiang Jiang, I’m joined by Professor Michael Jinghan Zeng from the Department of Public and International Affairs at City University of Hong Kong explore the controversies — and realities — surrounding Confucius Institutes and China–UK relations.

Before relocating to Hong Kong, Professor Zeng spent 13 years in the UK, where he built his academic career. At 31, he was appointed Professor of China and International Studies at Lancaster University, becoming one of the youngest full professors in Britain.

Simultaneously, he served as Director of Lancaster University Confucius Institute. Under his leadership, the Institute grew into an award-winning institution while successfully navigating unprecedented challenges — from the global pandemic and the abrupt dissolution of the Confucius Institute Headquarters to a political campaign by the UK’s then-ruling government to shut down Confucius Institutes. These experiences are chronicled in his three-volume memoir, Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director, with the first volume released in August 2025. Before embarking on his academic career, he worked at the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York City.

Highlights:

03:41 - What does a Confucius Institute director actually do — and why Zeng took on the role at a politically sensitive moment

13:34 - The biggest misconceptions about Confucius Institutes in British society

17:34 - Cultural engagement vs. propaganda: where the line really lies

19:19 - Confucius Institutes and the British Council: similar missions, different politics

22:43 - Inside the “Confucius Institute of the Year” award

25:13 - Leading a Confucius Institute through crisis: pandemic, politics, and pressure

33:10 - How Zeng reads the current China–UK reset — and why Starmer’s China visit matters

42:22 - What’s next: a preview of Volume Two of Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director

Recommendations:

Jinghan Zeng: Black Myth: Wukong (a video game inspired by the ancient Chinese tale “Journey to the West”)

JJ: Memoirs of a Confucius Institute Director, Volume 1: Challenges, Controversies, and Realities (available on Amazon), by Jinghan Zeng

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This episode was recorded on Jan. 29.