Following reorganization of the Confucius Institute Headquarters in 2021, the project “Confucius Institute at Novosibirsk State University” was taken patronage by its Chinese partner – Xinjiang University. This article observes three fields of activities of the NSU Confucius Institute Center that took place that year: teaching Chinese, organizing cultural events, conducting scholarly research. It encountered numerous difficulties such as the decrease of teaching staff, the number of Chinese learners shrinking by half, school closures and restrictions in holding cultural events, cancellation of academic mobility and international visits. The center, however, adapted to the new normal having benefited from its patrons from both sides and having succeeded in everything planned. Some of the achieved goals were the construction of a recreational area in a national style where visitors can concurrently learn about the institute’s activity, renovation of an old room to be a resource library for students and teachers, the launch of a distance learning platform for studying Chinese online, establishment of the Knowledge student club. All things considered, the activity of the Confucius Institute at Novosibirsk State University consolidates the idea of working ‘together for a shared future’.