On September 27, the 10th Global Confucius Institute Day, with the theme of "Believe in the Future, Paint Brilliant Future Together", was held by the Chinese International Education Foundation. At the event, 26 Chinese and foreign directors of Confucius Institutes from 18 countries including the US, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, and Ecuador were awarded the Medal for Long Service as a Confucius Institute Director. Wang Yige, former Director at the Confucius Institute at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) was also honored with this prestigious award. Du Jie, Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange at CDU received this award as a representative.

Mr. Wang has served as Director of the Confucius Institute at UNH since 2010. During his tenure, the Confucius Institute at UNH has made remarkable contributions to the promotion of Chinese language teaching, cultural exchanges between China and the US, as well as the cooperation of the two universities. He has demonstrated outstanding ability and dedication in promoting Chinese language teaching, cultural exchanges, and community development, with a passion for his work and a deep understanding of and respect for cultural exchanges. His contributions to the Confucius Institute have been recognized by CDU, UNH, and the Chinese International Education Foundation.

It is reported that the Medal for Long Service as a Confucius Institute Director 2023 is to commend those directors who have showcased outstanding performance and made significant contributions to the work of the Confucius Institutes they serve. Since its establishment in 2021, this award has become one of the most prestigious honors for Confucius Institutes around the world. This is the third year that the award has been presented, with a total of 126 Chinese and foreign directors of Confucius Institutes being recipients of this distinguished honor.