 The establishment signifies the Qing Empire, after years of reluctance, at last tried to learn about the West of their own accord.Small, specialized government foreign language schools have long existed in China since the Ming dynasty.As early as 1407, China had an Office for the Languages of Nations of Four Directions (四夷馆 sì yí guǎn), for the purposes of translating documents from minority and nomadic groups including the Mongols, Jurchens, Hui, and Burmese, who delivered tribute to the court.