Professor Jan Burdukiewicz received the Individual Performance Excellence Award in recognition of his contribution to the development of the Confucius Institute at the University of Wrocław. The medal was handed over by Tian Xuejun, Minister of Education in China, during a conference in Chengdu organized on the tenth anniversary of the founding of Confucius’ Institutes.

The Confucius Institutes are established by Hanban, a non-governmental Chinese organization whose main task is to share the Chinese language, as well as the culture and traditions of China. There are 548 institutes in the world, with 5 in Poland: in Kraków, Opole, Poznań, Wrocław and Gdańsk.

Professor Jan Burdukiewicz, vice-rector for international cooperation and international projects at the University of Wrocław, is the chairman of the Council of the Confucius Institute. He is involved in archeology, specializing in the Stone Age. He conducted research on the Silk Road and worked closely with Chinese scientists.