On July 31, 2015, CHU's Confucius Institute hosted the 17^th annual Provincial Tourism Chinese Speaking Competition. The competition is held to improve the speaking ability of residents of Jeju who wish to work in the Chinese tourism industry on the island. Mun Junseo, Son Sehi, Mun Eunbin and Choi Ire, elementary school and university students, all won gold medals. The gold medals for the elementary school section are financed by the Consul General of China in Jeju, and include a scholarship, while the gold medals for the university section are financed by the Confucius Institute and Nankai University, and include a study abroad program; other prize winners receive scholarships funded by Nankai University in China. Shin Euigyeong, director of the Confucius Institute, said "it is important that Korea forge close ties with China, our close neighbor, and in order to meet the demands of the growing Chinese tourist industry in Jeju and help the island become more globalized, we host this event each year." The event this year was held in conjunction with the CHU 1^st annual Chinese Writing Competition, which was on July 24, 2015.