GDANSK, Poland, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The University of Gdansk in northern Poland on Saturday celebrated the 10th anniversary of establishing the Confucius Institute with a ceremony attended by more than 400 participants, including officials, educators, students, and local residents.

Chinese Ambassador to Poland Lu Shan said at the event that language serves as a bridge for communication and mutual learning among civilizations. Over the past decade, the institute has developed into a vibrant center for Chinese language education and cultural exchange, making positive contributions to deepening mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of China and Poland, Lu said.

Aneta Lewinska, the Polish director of the institute, said the program continues to grow, with each year bringing new energy, ideas, and participants. An increasing number of young Poles are learning Chinese as a way to connect with the culture and spirit of the Chinese nation, she added.

"Their motivation is to understand a different culture and a different world," Lewinska told Xinhua.

According to Guan Yu, the institute's Chinese director, in the past ten years, the institute has trained more than 7,000 students and hosted over 200 cultural events.

Poland now has four Confucius Institutes and one independent Confucius Classroom, making it one of the Central and Eastern European countries with the largest number of such institutions. ■