中国古人说，“志之所趋，无远勿届，穷山距海，不能限也”，意思是求学之路虽然充满艰辛，但只要本着坚韧不拔、锲而不舍的精神，就能超越山海所限，达到成功的彼岸。
7年前，我曾与英国王储查尔斯王子共同为位于英国西南部的威尔士兰德福瑞公学孔子课堂揭牌。今天，我又来到苏格兰北部设得兰群岛的耶尔岛，为全英最北端的孔子课堂揭牌。无论在哪里，我都能深深体会到英国学生们学习中文的热情和求学致知的渴望，感受到“中文热”正跨越时空、超越山海，火遍英伦。
春天是万物生长的季节。英国的中文教育正处在这样一个季节，英国的孔子学院和孔子课堂正迎来一个美好的“春天”。
I also wish to thank the teachers from the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools and Mid Yell Junior High School for your hard work and vigorous contribution!
An ancient Chinese sage said, "For he who is unstoppably determined, there is no place too far to reach, no mountain too high to climb and no sea too vast to cross." This line explains how perseverance is the only path to success.
Seven years ago, I had the honour to join His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, to unveil the Confucius Classroom of Llandovery College in the southwest of Britain. Today, I have come to Yell to unveil the Confucius Classroom in the farthest and northernmost part of Scotland and Britain.
From the south to the north, I can see the strong and growing enthusiasm in the British students for learning the Chinese language. That is why the distance between China and the UK, the barriers of mountains and seas, can not stop the Chinese language from reaching every corner of Britain, including Yell!
And I think I have come at a good time. This is the season for flowers to bloom and for trees to grow. It is also a good time for Chinese language education in Britain, for the Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, to grow.
8年前，在我刚刚出任中国驻英国大使时，英国只有11家孔子学院、47个孔子课堂。如今，全英共开设29家孔子学院和156个孔子课堂。仅2017年，全英就有16万人在孔子学院和孔子课堂学习，各孔子学院开展了4074场文化活动，参与人数达到102万人。放眼全球，到去年底，已经有146个国家和地区建立了525所孔子学院和1113个孔子课堂，各类学员累计达916万人，相当于欧洲一个中等国家的人口规模。孔子学院、孔子课堂的蓬勃发展也是中英汉语教学合作的一个经典缩影。
很多同学也许会问，为什么这么多人愿意学习中文？为什么孔子学院和孔子课堂在英国这么受欢迎？我的答案是，中文是一种神奇的力量，就像哈里波特手中的“魔法棒”：
Eight years ago when I took the office of Chinese Ambassador to the UK, there were only 11 Confucius Institutes across Britain. Today, there are 29.
Eight years ago there were 47 Confucius Classrooms. Today, there are 156.
In 2017 alone, these Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms enrolled 160,000 students, hosted 4,074 cultural events and drew over one million visitors and participants.
Across the world, the numbers are also encouraging. As of the end of last year, there were 525 Confucius Institutes and 1,113 Confucius Classrooms in 146 countries and regions. The total number of students was 9.16 million. That was the size of the population of an average country in Europe.
You may wonder:
Why are so many people falling in love with the Chinese language?
Why are the Confucius Institutes and Classrooms so popular in Britain?
My answer is this: the Chinese language has the power of Harry Potter's magic wand.
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