China's second Confucius Classroom opened in Copenhagen Thursday, with over 300 officials, guests and students participating in the inauguration ceremony at Niels Steensens Gymnasium (NSG).

At the opening ceremony, China's Ambassador to Denmark Xie Hangsheng said the opening of the second Confucius Classroom at NSG would help promote student exchanges between China and Denmark.

"I believe the Confucius Classroom will further strengthen Sino-Danish cooperation in various areas, especially in the fields of education and science and technology," he said. "Danish students will learn more about China and understand China better at this Confucius Classroom."

The Chinese ambassador also said he is very glad to see the opening of the second Confucius Classroom this year, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Danish diplomatic relations.

For her part, Danish Minister of Education Tina Nedergaard said China's economic achievements in recent years have aroused the attention of the Western world.

She said China has been playing an important role in the global arena, and believed China will also play a useful role in Denmark's educational sector.

"With the opening of the Confucius Classroom here today, I'm sure there will be more Danes able to speak Chinese with more knowledge of China, which are conducive to the strengthening of the bilateral relations between Denmark and China," she said.

At the ceremony, Wang Minzhu, vice principal of the high school affiliated with Renmin University of China, the co-founder of the Confucius Classroom, said language is a cultural carrier and communication tool which can bridge the gap between different civilizations.

"In this sense, the Confucius Classroom is a bridge that bears the responsibility to spread Chinese language and culture in foreign lands," she said.

Dorthe Enger, head of Niels Steensens Gymnasium, expressed her heartfelt thanks to the Chinese government and the Confucius Institute at Copenhagen Business School to establish the Confucius Classroom at her school.

"We much appreciated the efforts by the Chinese government and the Confucius Institute at Copenhagen Business School to help us find a partner school in China and offer textbooks, other teaching materials and Chinese teachers," she said.

Students of NSG performed Chinese kungfu, recited Chinese poems, and sang and danced to Chinese songs. All of these activities showed the charm of Chinese culture, and the program ended with the song "Auld Lang Syne," a song about lasting friendship.

(Xinhua News Agency November 26, 2010)