The teaching of Chinese in Portugal faces its challenges. There are no university degree programs like those available for other languages, and that is a ‘regret’ that João Canuto hopes will be resolved soon. The Mandarin and Traditional Chinese History and Culture professor emphasizes the role that Macau plays in connecting people, but also points out that the city’s involvement in teaching the language in Portugal would always be necessarily linked to the work done by the Confucius Institute.
-How can Macau help develop the teaching of Mandarin in the Portuguese-speaking world?
João Canuto – Macau can have a very positive and important role because of its historical and cultural significance in the People’s Republic of China. Through Macau, the Portuguese interpret China in a different way, creating an almost legendary and adventurous feeling, a mythical sentiment in the hearts of the Portuguese due to its nearly five centuries under Portuguese administration. Macau continues to be a place that allows Portuguese to reach China more easily.
However, I am not sure how this role could be materialized in Portugal to promote the teaching of the Chinese language and culture without involving the Confucius Institute (CI). That being said, it is a crucial base and platform through which the Chinese language and culture could be more actively and positively promoted in Portugal. Personally, I believe that in Macau, this role is more oriented towards academics, researchers, and Portuguese students who wish to come to Macau to deepen their knowledge of the history between Asia and the West, as well as traditional Chinese culture and language.
As the Confucius Institute is already well-established in Portugal, Macau’s involvement would always be, not to say subordinated, but inherently linked to this institution. However, Macau remains a Region with its own policies and systems, as defined in the Joint Declaration. Academic research is still conducted freely and liberally, as long as it does not touch upon more complex political issues for China, such as Taiwan or China’s internal politics. China itself supports and endorses these research efforts as a means to spread Chinese history and ways of thinking to the West.
How has the teaching of Mandarin evolved in Portugal?
J.C. – Despite everything, the teaching of Mandarin in Portugal has experienced natural and positive evolution. The Confucius Institute will be the institution that develops and promotes the teaching of the Chinese language and culture in Portugal from now on. It’s fortunate that primary and secondary education institutions are establishing protocols with the CI to receive guidance.
One day the teaching of Mandarin in Portugal will have to go through the creation of specific courses and degrees
This also happens with major academic institutions in Portugal, such as the School of Arts and Humanities from the University of Lisbon, the University of Aveiro, the University of Minho, the Faculty of Letters of Porto, and the University of Coimbra. These five excellent academic institutions are currently supporting and establishing protocols with the CI. I believe that over time, the teaching of Mandarin will become increasingly associated with the CI.
However, I must emphasize that many people who start learning Mandarin, especially young people, give up. It’s not just a matter of willpower; some lack patience or time, given their exam preparations and other subjects they have to study. Above all, I think that one day the teaching of Mandarin in Portugal will have to involve the creation of specific courses and degree programs in the Chinese language and culture, just as there are degree programs for Romance or Germanic languages.
Until this happens, students in Portugal won’t have the opportunity to fully profit from their learning of this complex language, as well as its culture and history. The CI is crucial for bringing order to the teaching of Mandarin in Portugal. The open courses offered at universities, primary schools, or private colleges have a very limited lifespan.
The Confucius Institute provides a solid foundation, security, and support that no other institution, especially in Portugal, can offer. Time is essential for learning the language and traditional Chinese culture, which encompasses various aspects, including history.
On the one hand, it takes a lot of time to teach and study the Chinese language and culture seriously, but we currently have limited time. We have already lost two generations since the establishment of the free Mandarin course in Casa de Macau by journalist and professor João Cantão in 1989.
Two generations that could have learned Chinese in a structured and solid manner. It saddens me to know that Mandarin is still being taught incorrectly, especially in private institutions or colleges and sometimes in public primary and secondary schools. To me, the Chinese language cannot be dissociated from its cultural aspects. Outside of the CI, the focus remains mostly on teaching oral Chinese because students often complain that the language and characters are very difficult.
Everyone wants to learn Chinese but then they don’t realize that learning Mandarin requires a lot of willpower. The written aspect is crucial. Each character is a unique and individual entity that not only carries meaning but also the rules necessary for writing it, as well as its tone and phonetics. Chinese is a beautiful language. I tell my students that Chinese is not spoken, it is sung; it is not written, it is drawn. Learning Chinese is not only highly beneficial for the cognitive and cerebral development of a Western child but also for an adult. Learning the written language helps us with spoken language learning.
Considering the special historical connection Portugal has with China, is it a missed opportunity?
J.C. – We hold a privileged position in the world when it comes to relations with China. Our Jesuits were advisors to Emperor Kangxi during a critical period at the beginning of China’s external relations with the world. What has all this led to? After 500 years, we still talk about the 16th-century issue, what Portugal gave to the world, and we have not been able to take advantage of the privileged relationship we have with China and the respect they have for us as a people with a humane attitude towards others.
They are aware that we had a good relationship in Macau, without leaving the traumatic memories that England left in China. The English colonial experience in China was terrible and left deep wounds in the pride of the Chinese collective identity, wounds that have not been forgiven to this day. The relationship between China and Portugal is something that both sides can be proud of. The Chinese feel comfortable in Portugal and are not ostracized.
Macau continues to be a space that allows the Portuguese to reach China more easily. Now I don’t know how this role could materialize in Portugal in the dissemination of Chinese language and culture teaching
When all this mess with the Ukraine war is over, I am sure that China will emerge as the second or even the most important country in the world in several aspects. It is already gaining ground. People will want to understand China, and they don’t understand it. It’s not just about the language; it’s about understanding the culture and way of thinking. Chinese thinking is more collective and less individualistic. There are a whole set of values that govern social and political life, unique to China. Understanding China today is more important than ever. Regardless of the number of academic courses available in the West or social status, if a person does not have at least some knowledge of Chinese culture and thinking, they won’t achieve a complete understanding.
How do you see the image of China in Portugal?
J.C. – I believe that within the psychology of the Portuguese people, it is necessary to deconstruct a little the negative image that many people currently have about China and rebuild a more positive image based on history, culture, language, and writing. There cannot be any mix-up; one thing is international politics and everything that is happening in China’s internal and external politics. People can draw their own conclusions, but what we must preserve above all is an image of China associated with culture, language, history, and everything that traditional Chinese culture represents, which has so much to offer us.
I consider myself a man of letters, someone who studies culture, language, and the most positive aspects of other countries. People cannot, due to unfortunate historical moments, forget everything that these countries have produced. Whether it is Germany, Russia, the United States, or of course, China. Regardless of the troubled past of these countries, we cannot let die what constitutes the cultural and historical aspect of each country.
