What’s the mark of China’s growing soft power? A segment on the Daily Show. In a segment called "Socialism Studies" fake news reporter Aasif Mandvi heads to California to “expose the Communist threat as Hacienda Heights introduces a Chinese language program [China’s Confucius Institute] to middle school kids."

As we reported in our piece on China’s Confucius Institutes, the Han Ban (汉办), the Office of Chinese Language Council International, announced in early 2010 that 20 more Confucius Institutes (孔子学院) and 200 more Confucius Classrooms will be opened worldwide this year. On their hit list: Hacienda Heights, California. 

The Confucius Institutes’ mission? To promote Chinese language and culture internationally. The classes to be offered to Hacienda Heights middle schoolers next fall would be subsidized by the Chinese government. The source of the funding is causing alarm with the local community, since, as the Daily Show states, “If it comes from China it’s tainted with communism.” Never mind that China teaches their students the country is socialist, or that California schools should be taking all the free funding for classes that they can get. 

Although the mockery of those against the program is clear in the Daily Show’s segment, the issues raised by the expansion of the Confucius Institutes doesn’t end there. People in China are debating the need for the institute and asking if the funds being sent abroad to spread Chinese culture could be better spent at home.

“Some Western press criticizes Confucius Institutes as being Chinese government's 'brainwashing' plot,” says Zhan Debin, an online critic of the program. “Although I don't think that's true, I don't think the high cost is going to give us the expected returns."

Zhan doubts that the Confucius Institutes can reproduce Chinese culture around the world. “People can only start to be interested in and learn about our culture when our economy is strong and our art and literature are prosperous, and all these rely on education in China, not abroad.”

3 million kids are out of school in China

According to the article, the funds invested in Confucius Institutes worldwide were initially RMB 50 million. By 2009, the amount had gone up to RMB 280 million. But while Confucius Institutes are blooming all over the world, back home 3 million Chinese kids are still not able to go to school.

“Seeing such situations,” says Zhan, “Han Ban should be ashamed to have spent that kind of money building a 'face project'.”

With school building costs in China roughly RMB 200,000, Zhan estimates the money spent on a Confucius Institute every year is enough to send 1.4 million Chinese kids back to school.