In September 2009, Sichuan University, along with the Municipal Education Commission of Chongqing, joinedhands with the University of Washington and the Seattle School District for the establishment of the Confucius Institute in Washington State. The Confucius Institute in Washington State has established Chinese language education partnership with nine colleges and universities in Washington State, including all six public comprehensive research universities.With 3 Confucius classrooms, the Education Center of Confucius Institutepartners with about 30 elementary and middle schools in 8 school districts in teaching Chinese language and promoting Chinese culture, basicallyshapinga cooperative system of Chinese language teaching covering Washington State. The Confucius Institute in Washington State is the only state-level Confucius Institute in the United States. In 2019, one of the U.S. partners of the Confucius Institute in Washington State, the University of Washington, was replaced by the Pacific Lutheran University.