The highly anticipated final of the 16th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, organized by Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) and the People’s Government of Hunan Province, took place on August 12 in Changsha, Hunan Province.
Zhao Zhihang from Sudan was crowned the winner of the 16th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students. [Photo by Confucius Institute Headquarters ] |
Zhao Zhihang and Sha Mier, together with the other three finalists, made it to the last stage of the competition out of 145 college students from 122 countries.
Front from left to right: He bende, Sha Mier, Zhao Zhihang, Mu Chenpeng and Liu Siyuan. [Photo by Wei Jia/China.org.cn] |
The elaborately designed second round took two more contestants out of the running. The section’s questions, which were threaded together with magic performances mostly inspired by the ancient Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road, a major theme of this year’s competition, proved too much for Mu Chenpeng from the US and He Bende from Germany. And Zhao Zhihang went on to see off Sha Mier and win the competition.
Apart from the impressive performances by the contestants, the person who stole the show was a dainty girl from Sudan who made a moving guest appearance. Born blind, Li Can, a student at the Confucius Institute at the University of Khartoum, wanted nothing more than an opportunity to learn Chinese in China. Despite her handicap, Li Can made a habit out of listening to Chinese tapes and imitating the people speaking on them, devoting herself to learning Chinese with an indefatigable fervor.
Li Can, in the middle, singing The Invisible Wings with her classmates at the Confucius Institute at the University of Khartoum. [Photo by Wei Jia/China.org.cn] |
After singing the song and sharing her story with the panel of judges and the audience, it was announced that Li Can had passed the Chinese proficiency test (HSK), especially held for her alone, with flying colors and she was granted a scholarship because of her grades by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) on the spot so that her dream of studying in China could come true.
Li Can’s passion for the Chinese language and Chinese culture is shared by all the contestants of the “Chinese Bridge” competition, an event that is more about helping the outside world better understand China than deciding who can speak better Chinese.
The grand finale of this year’s “Chinese Bridge,” like those before it, saw a new group of energetic and talented young people who are fascinated with the Chinese language and Chinese culture take the center stage. Their moment in the limelight is not only about their mastery of Chinese, but also the appeal of the country’s culture and language with a splendid history and an even brighter future.
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