DARWIN, Australia, May 26 (Xinhua) -- "Learning Chinese makes me feel happy. I really want to go to China," said Ellie Moss, a 10-year-old local Year Five student, beaming with excitement as she held her trophy and certificate.
At an award ceremony held in Darwin, a port city in northern Australia, on Saturday, Moss won the first prize of a Chinese proficiency competition for primary school students from the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and the state of Western Australia.
Moss said one of her best Chinese teachers at school is Alix Lan Chen, a volunteer from the Confucius Institute at Charles Darwin University (CDU).
On that day, teachers and students from the Tai Chi course of the Confucius Institute gave a performance at the event. Among them was Debbie Wolstenholme, a local resident in her sixties, whose graceful movements flowed as smooth as a gently winding stream.
"Tai Chi is really good for your whole body and mind. It's really relaxing," Wolstenholme said. "I've just been learning this last term. I'm looking into doing more of this."
As the part of Australia geographically closest to China, the Northern Territory, with Darwin as its capital city, serves as a vital gateway to Asia. This strategic position gives it unique advantages in fostering mutually beneficial cooperation with China.
The Confucius Institute at CDU "has made significant contributions to promoting Chinese language education, disseminating Chinese culture, and strengthening friendship and cooperation between the Northern Territory and China," Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said in his speech at the International Relations Conference of the 2025 Darwin Fusion, a two-day program last week.
The institute at CDU is a partnership between the Australian university and its two Chinese counterparts -- Anhui Normal University and Hainan University. It is the only Confucius Institute in the Northern Territory.
Volunteer teachers from the institute have been providing Chinese language lessons and supporting after-school programs in local primary and secondary schools. They also organize a diverse range of cultural activities within the local community.
"We are a platform dedicated to promoting the Chinese language and culture and facilitating mutual learning among civilizations," CDU Director of Confucius Institute Amy Yu-Vatskalis said.
A local private school plans to introduce Chinese language courses as a compulsory subject and has approached the Confucius Institute for potential support, she said. "Both parents and students enjoy our activities."
Currently, the Confucius Institute has nine volunteer teachers -- seven from China and two from the local community. In addition to teaching Chinese, these volunteers bring a wide range of talents, including calligraphy, martial arts, musical instrument performance, dance, painting, and traditional Chinese opera.
"I introduced students to various aspects of modern transport in China, including the train line that passes through a residential building in Chongqing, the high-speed rail network, and the widespread use of shared bicycles," said Dong Anran, a volunteer of the institute.
Chen, Moss's teacher, expressed great pride in the student's achievement. "I am delighted that Ellie won the first prize. Her proficiency in Chinese and her performance skills are not the result of my efforts alone, but also the efforts of many teachers who came before me."
Lord Mayor of Darwin Kon Vatskalis voiced his support for the Confucius Institute's activities to promote Chinese language and culture in local schools and community.
"We see this as enriching our social fabric and improving understanding of each other's cultural identity," he said.
Scott Bowman, CDU's vice-chancellor and president, said he is pleased to have a Confucius Institute that enriches the university.
"It's really a wonderful part of the university," he said. "We've got to look at how we can have more exchanges, how we can get more activity and how we can get more understanding of each other." ■
