On 28 May 2025, President of East China Normal University (ECNU), Professor Qian Xu-Hong led a six-member delegation to visit Crestar Education Group (CEG) in Singapore. A signing ceremony was held to officiate the establishment of Crestar Confucius Institute.

The establishment of the Crestar Confucius Institute marks a significant milestone in the efforts of Crestar Education Group and East China Normal University, to promote the global learning and appreciation of Chinese language and culture.

Mr Ng Tiow Seng, General Manager of Crestar Education Group and President Qian Xu-Hong of ECNU signed the cooperation agreement on behalf of their respective institutions. The ceremony formally upgraded the Confucius Classroom (Crestar) to the Crestar Confucius Institute.

President Qian Xuhong and General Manager Mr Ng Tiow Seng signing the cooperation agreement on behalf of both parties

During the ceremony, President Qian shared some key possible development for Crestar Confucius Institute, encouraging its efforts in four key pillars: research-based, AI-driven, international outreach, and practice-oriented.

President Qian Xuhong delivering his speech at the signing ceremony

The ECNU delegation included Ms. Huang Mei Xu, Director of the ECNU Global Education Centre, and Mr. Kuai Shu Guang, Director of the ECNU International Cooperation & Exchange Division. Together with the Representatives from Crestar Education Group, they witnessed this historical milestone.

Ms Huang Mei Xu, Director of ECNU Global Education Centre (seated left) with
Crestar Education Group and ECNU representatives

Crestar Education Group’s collaboration with ECNU dates back to 2014, beginning with a diploma-to-degree articulation programme. In 2021, the two institutions jointly launched Confucius Classroom (Crestar). This was followed by a deeper collaboration in 2022 with the Doctoral Programme in International Chinese Language Education and the International Bilingual Educator Certificate (IBEC) Programme.