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Since ancient times, Chinese have been concerned about happiness. The concept of happiness is a crucial part of Chinese religion, which is clearly seen in Chinese superstitions, fateful numbers, signs of happiness and so on. According to Confucianism, the concept of happiness in Chinese culture is adherence to the moral basis of liberating oneself from wealth and honor, which helps to experience true existential joy or happiness “lè” (乐).

Recently, we celebrated All Saints 'Day in Lithuania, when we visited the graves of loved ones and remembered those who are not among us. On November 10th in the lecture “Ancestor Worship and Funeral Customs in Chinese Culture” delivered by Balys Astrauskas, a PhD student at Vilnius University, Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies, junior assistant, we presented the burial traditions of the Chinese, the importance of ancestral worship in China and the differences between burial customs and Lithuanian traditions.

On October 25th an event took place as part of the project "Between Choice and Determinism: Cultural Diversity in the Experience and Conceptualization of Free Will, Success and Fortuity".

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is arguably one of the most famous English poets and dramatists, whose name is still heard today, and tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet have become an inspiration to directors and filmmakers around the world. And did you know that China had “its own” Shakespeare during the same period?

On the 6th of October, Confucius Institute held an online lecture, "Is Traditional Chinese Medicine a Science?“. In this lecture, a doctor, acupuncturist, and doctor of medical sciences, Dainius Butvilas, reviewed the most important aspects of Traditional Chinese medicine and compared Traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine. In this lecture, the main question was whether Chinese medicine is a science and what place this treatment system holds in the medical world.

At the Confucius Institute on the 25th of September, we held a public lecture with a practice session to get familiar with the martial arts of the legendary Shaolin Monastery and its traditions. This topic was presented by the speaker Tomas Lapinskas, the official representative of the Shaolin Monastery in the Baltic States.

During the pandemic, we got used to living differently and were forced to change our habits in many areas. Communicating and entertaining remotely today is even more normal than trendy. Participating in events, studying or learning foreign languages ​​has become easy and extremely convenient from anywhere in the world.

VU Confucius Institute will start the autumn school year season in cooperation with a new Chinese university. This is Shanghai East China Normal University (ECNU), which is one of China's most prestigious universities.

Every year, during the spring, our institute hosts the “Confucius Institute Open Days,” where visitors had the opportunity to experience Chinese culture live. This year, we introduced Chinese culture remotely on the Zoom platform.

May 26 in the second on Chinese society assoc. Prof. L. Poškaitė's lecture "Transformations of Traditional Masculine Ideals in Modern China", it was interesting to hear about the discourse of the "masculinity crisis" in China since the 20th century. The lecturer began her lecture by emphasizing the non-problematic approach to masculinity that has prevailed in China for quite some time.

Last week we had the opportunity to get acquainted in detail with the women of modern Chinese society doc. L. Poškaitė's lecture "Stereotypes of Femininity and New Images in Contemporary China: From Excessive Femininity to Androgyny".

May 8 the local competition „Chinese Language Bridge“ was held. This year, 4 students and 3 gymnasium students from different regions of Lithuania participated.

April 20 the International Chinese Language Day was celebrated around the world. On this occasion, the Confucius Institute of Vilnius University (VU) invited everyone interested to get acquainted with the Chinese language and organized two remote lectures.

At the end of the academic year, we would like once again congratulate the 6 Sinology students who have been awarded one-time incentive scholarships by the Confucius Institute.

With the first spring sun shine, not only nature but also human awakens. Now is the best time to take care of yourself, your emotions and your body. But before you start exercising, it’s important to know how to prepare for appropriate breathing.

On 25th March at the initiative of the Confucius Institute of Vilnius University, the Confucius class was opened at the KTU Engineering Lyceum (S. Lozoraičio St.). This is the second class of Confucius in Lithuania and the first in Kaunas.

China stands out from other civilizations in the world with a special respect for the past and its history, perceiving it primarily as a lesson and a landmark for the present and the future. Therefore, in March, the VU Confucius Institute organized two online lectures focused on one of the four traditional art forms – calligraphy and contemporary art, which is based on historical and cultural memory.

Lockdown not only reduced the need for interest in Chinese culture, but on the contrary, this extraordinary situation increased interest and opened up new opportunities for the Confucius Institute at Vilnius University. In February, the institute organized two distance lectures for Coretech lt, UAB on Chinese culture.

As every year, the Confucius Institute of Vilnius University awarded scholarships to the best students of sinology at Vilnius University.

On November, 25th The Vilnius University Confucius Institute organized a public online lecture "The Significance of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Modern World". We are extremely grateful to Vitalijus Naumavičius, a Chinese medicine doctor, physiotherapist and doctor of biomedical sciences, for his valuable knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine and advice on how we should strengthen our health in winter.