Patterns of Cultural Exchange Shaped by Trends in Chinese Language Education: A Systematic Review

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: The rapid expansion of Chinese language education worldwide has often been accompanied by expectations of cultural exchange. Yet, despite frequent policy claims and educational narratives, the relationship between language education and cultural exchange remains conceptually diffuse and empirically uneven. This study seeks to clarify how trends in Chinese language education shape observable patterns of cultural exchange across global contexts. Research design, data and methodology: A systematic review design was employed to synthesize peer-reviewed international research on Chinese language education and cultural exchange. Studies were collected from major academic databases and screened using transparent inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected literature was analyzed through iterative thematic coding, allowing patterns to emerge across diverse institutional, regional, and pedagogical settings. Results: The review identifies four recurring patterns of cultural exchange associated with trends in Chinese language education: institutionalized cultural mediation, learner-driven intercultural engagement, policy-oriented cultural projection, and digitally mediated exchange. These patterns differ in depth, reciprocity, and sustainability. Conclusions: Cultural exchange does not emerge automatically from language education. Instead, it develops unevenly, shaped by educational structures, agency, and context. The findings suggest that Chinese language education functions as an upstream condition that influences how cultural exchange is organized, experienced, and constrained.