HSK

In March 2000, the HSK Toronto Centre was co-established by the Chinese Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (also “Hanban”) under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, and the Canadian institute, Bond Education Group. It was the first testing centre in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for international Chinese language proficiency and served as one of the partners and certified testing services of the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation and Chinese Testing International Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “CTI”) in Canada. In May 2012, HSK Toronto Centre was officially registered as a Canadian multicultural non-profit organization. After 2015, it was funded by Service Canada to run the heritage language program, YCT Summer Camp. The repeated successes of the YCT Summer Camp attracted visitations from government representatives and received commendation.

As the first testing centre in the Greater Toronto Area, HSK Toronto Centre (also simply “Centre” hereinafter) has successively held tests of various types and levels for 25 years, including HSK (1-6) and (7-9), HSKK (II, II, and III),  BCT (A-B), and YCT (1-4 and YCT oral tests, beginner, intermediate, advanced). In recent years, with the addition of internet technology and keen backing of CTI, the Centre was able to provide online classes and internet-based testing throughout the pandemic, creating new HSK courses and workshops such as HSK scholarships, counseling, and pre-exam preparation courses, customized mock practices and tests, and other related teaching or counseling services. Students, course-takers and test-takers have increased significantly at the Centre and made giant leaps forward. Since our founding, students and candidates ranging between the ages of 6 and 90, from different walks of lives, and ethnic or cultural backgrounds, have amounted to tens of thousands.

Today, our Centre offers examination paper-based, in-person at the centre or at-home internet-based. We hold both in-person and virtual courses, with HSK certificate courses and pre-examination preparation running simultaneously. The Centre’s scope of service and impact has extended beyond the GTA to cover all of Ontario, and further extended to several dozens of cities across the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, spanning nearly 5,400 kilometres east to west, across four time zones, and over 4600 kilometres north to south.

The Centre is also designated by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China as an overseas study in China and scholarship recommendation institution in Canada. We recommend outstanding HSK exam candidates yearly to receive scholarships to study at prestigious Chinese universities. Since our recommendation of the first scholarship recipient of the HSK Excellence Scholarship to study Chinese Language and Culture at Tsinghua University in 2002, we have recommended and counseled hundreds of outstanding applicants for scholarships to study and pursue higher education at renowned Chinese universities such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Beijing Normal University, Beijing Language and Culture University, East China Normal University, Shanghai University, Nanjing Normal University, Beijing Film Academy, and Xi'an Jiaotong University.

As the first testing centre in the GTA, the Centre, leveraging on the resources of its Canadian partner, Bond Education Group, has actively launched Chinese language teaching and cultivation programs. We made significant efforts in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language research and improving the teaching abilities of local Chinese language teachers. As early as October 2003, the Centre hosted the first Chinese Teacher Training in Canada program, organized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of China, where three Chinese language experts trained local Chinese and conducted discussion-seminars. This training was the first to comprehensively and systematically promote Hanyu Pinyin and Simplified Chinese in the GTA, enabling teachers to systemically understand and fully grasp the fundamental knowledge of the Hanyu Pinyin system and the evolution of Chinese characters from traditional to simplified forms. The program was of a scholarly nature with rich content, demonstrated not only through its topic selection but also through its research direction. This pioneering training program has been significant in the development of international Chinese education development in the Toronto area.

In our 25 years of history, even in the recent pandemic period, the Centre has made unremitting efforts in all its activities and achieved remarkable results. We have gained the trust of candidates, parents, regulatory agencies, and attained the corresponding honours. In 2020, the Centre was invited to join Hanban. In 2021, the Centre was awarded the title of “Outstanding Overseas Test Site of the Year” (and has as well in the past). In March 2022, the Centre was invited to join Hanban in cooperation with Beijing Normal University and the University of Science and Technology of China to host the “Overseas Study: Top Chinese Universities Fair for North America (Part 2)”. From May to July 2022, the Centre fervently supported and organized participation in the “International Chinese Day Short Video Contest”, winning the Excellent Organization Award. From July to August 2022, at the invitation of Hanban, the Centre collaborated with Hanban, the Beijing University of Technology, and the Miami Business Alliance HSK Test Center to jointly host the “2022-HSK Elite University Experience-North American Chinese Summer Camp,” which was a huge success. In April 2023, the Center was invited to participate in the “Learn Chinese Through Singing” short video collection event organized by the Canadian embassy and consulates, receiving high praise. In December of the same year, the Center was invited to attend the first World Chinese Day Conference held in Beijing, where the centre's director, Dr. Ningyu Li, received the “Outstanding Contribution Award.”

Presently, our Centre has developed a mature model of “promoting teaching through exams, and promoting exams through teaching”, and has established itself as an influential testing centre, and Chinese education, exchange, and research base in the GTA. We serve as a bridge for communication and connection among local Chinese teachers, students learning Chinese, and their parents. Our quiet and comfortable testing environment, efficient and high-quality exam organization, and professional exam staff ensure excellent results for candidates, and has earned widespread acclaim from candidates, teachers, and parents. HSK Toronto Centre wholeheartedly welcomes individuals from all walks of life to come study, learn, and share the language and culture!

HSK News & Updates 

July. 07, 2023

July.06, 2023	HSK 1-6 Adult Chinese Learning In-person/Online Course
July 25, 2021	A Canadian Boy Named 胡文立 (Hu Wen Li)
June 23, 2021	Alex's Journey of Chinese Learning