On December 19, a delegation from the Chinese partner of the university as Anhui Pedagogical University (Wuhu, Anhui Province, China) visited ZNU with a working visit. Vice-Rector of Anhui Pedagogical University Lu Lin, Dean of the Faculty of International Exchanges and Cooperation Huang Shenghihong, Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages Zhang Derang, Head of the Russian Language Department Ren Lisia and Director of the International Exchanges and Cooperation Division Li Yming met with ZNU Rector Mykola Frolov and administration representatives, took part in celebrations at the Confucius School. And also they familiarized with the material and technical base of the university and discussed the prospects for expanding further cooperation between Zaporizhzhia and Chinese universities.
The official speeches with representatives of the Anhui Pedagogical University, except for the rector Mykola Frolov, were from ZNU, the first vice rector Oleksandr Bondar, the vice rector for scientific work Hennadii Vasylchuk, the director of the Confucius School from the Ukrainian side Volodymyr Volkov, the director of this school from the Chinese side in Shikhun and the head of international relations Kateryna Kasian.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mykola Frolov congratulated the guests of honor of the university and thanked them for their interest in the activities of Zaporizhzhia National University. Speaking about the scientific potential of ZNU, he mentioned that today there are 12.5 thousand students studying at 14 faculties and about 1200 employees work here. Soon important changes are waiting for the university as from January 1, the Zaporizhzhia State Academy of Engineering is going to join it.
As a result, ZNU will become the leading university in the South of Ukraine with 18
faculties, where 17 thousand students will be trained, in particular, among new specialties, specialists in the field of metallurgy, construction and IT, 15 thousand students will work and 1.5 thousand employees will work.
Mykola Oleksandrovych noted that the ceremony of the transfer of the official plate of the Confucius School by the Chinese side is an important event not only for ZNU, but also for the whole Zaporizhzhia region. After all, today there is growing interest in the Chinese language and culture among various segments of the population. This is convincingly evidenced by the different age audience of students of the Confucius School in ZNU.
During the meeting, prospects for further cooperation between ZNU and Anhui Pedagogical University were discussed
. In particular, Mykola Frolov assured that he plans to visit China next year. In addition, representatives of the Chinese delegation noted the great importance for them to study the Dnieper River basin, its current state, ecosystems, and the like. The parties agreed that already from 2019 international conferences will be held twice a year - one on the basis of ZNU, the other in China, dedicated to this topical topic.
In addition, the meeting participants discussed such forms of cooperation as the organization of summer language schools for students, academic internships for teachers and young people at the bases of foreign higher education institutions, scientific cooperation between Ukrainian and Chinese scientists, and the like. It was also about the fact that in the near future the Confucius School will be able to improve its status, becoming a Confucius Institute.
Further, in a rich program of staying at the ZNU, the Chinese 
delegation had a particularly important event: the vice rector of Anhui Pedagogical University Lu Lin and the rector of ZNU Mykola Frolov cut a symbolic ribbon at the entrance to sixth academic building, showing the output of the Confucius School of ZNU to a qualitatively new level. Mr. Lu Lin also solemnly handed Mykola Oleksandrovych the official sign of the Confucius School.
Then the honored guests of the university and students of the Faculty of Foreign Philology, who were present at the ceremony, visited the audiences of the Confucius School.
The guests were greatly impressed by the university campus excursion, acquaintance with the classroom fund of the sports complex and second, third and sixth academic buildings. Mykola Frolov also demonstrated to the representatives of the Chinese delegation multimedia equipment of audiences, computer classes, spoke about the prospects for further modernization of the university, and the like.
Then the guests were waited by a gala concert prepared by the staff of the center of culture and ZNU students.
The director of the Confucius School from the Ukrainian side Volodymyr Volkov, read a congratulatory telegram addressed to the staff of the Confucius School of ZNU, from the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Ukraine Du Wei.
In addition, on this day, representatives of the Chinese delegation took part in the grand opening of the main New Year tree of ZNU and met with students of the Confucius School.
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