Spatial and Temporal Pattern Evolution of Confucius Institutes around the World

Abstract

Cultural exchange has always promoted the development and cooperation of politics, economy, and education among countries. Based on the distribution data of Confucius Institutes in the world from 2004 to 2021, this paper analyzes the evolution of their spatial and temporal pattern by using the methods of kernel density analysis, standard elliptic difference, and spatial autocorrelation. The results show that the distribution of Confucius Institutes in the world has shifted from east to west, showing a trend from Eastern Europe to Africa. After 2008, the distribution of Confucius Institutes has a significant global positive spatial correlation, showing geographical agglomeration. The local spatial correlation analysis shows that the distribution of Confucius Institutes has significant geographical proximity and is affected by the change in the international situation.