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Wednesday, 6 February 2008

The first Director of the University of Adelaide's Confucius Institute has started his new role - just in time for tomorrow's Chinese New Year.

Professor Mobo Gao, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Confucius Institute, is a leading authority on the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the Maoist era. His latest book, The Battle of China's History: Mao and the Cultural Revolution is a reassessment of the Cultural Revolution and will be published this month.

Professor Gao's research also covers studies of rural China, contemporary Chinese politics, and linguistics.

Professor Gao comes to the University of Adelaide from the University of Tasmania where he was Associate Professor of Chinese Studies in the School of Asian Studies and Asian Languages.

He completed his undergraduate degree at Xiamen University in China and his Masters and PhD at the University of Essex in the UK.

An earlier book, Gao Village: Rural Life in Modern China (Hurst and Hawaii University Press), is widely used as an undergraduate and postgraduate textbook. He is currently working on a sequel.

At the University of Adelaide, Professor Gao will lead the new Confucius Institute, launched last year in partnership with Shandong University.

"I will be working with our partner Shandong University to teach Chinese language in Adelaide and to promote cultural understanding and exchange. Another significant part of our mission is to promote Australian culture to the Chinese and help the South Australian business community build opportunities within the Chinese market," Professor Gao said.