Uniting the world through Chinese
- By Chris Parker
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China.org.cn, August 6, 2014
What is the common language that the world uses to communicate? Many would answer "English", but the global influence of Chinese is ascending rapidly, and China is aiming to push this a step further through cultural initiatives throughout the world.
 |
|
Monica Cunha da Silva from Brazil, the winner of the 13th Chinese Bridge -- Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, performs on stage along with her fellow competitors. [Photo provided to China.org.cn] |
The 13th Chinese Bridge -- Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students is one such endeavor. The final round of the competition, held in Changsha, Hunan Province on Aug. 3 was a major television event, hosted by famous TV presenters Yang Lan and Wang Han. It was the culmination of many preliminary rounds of competition held in countries across the world, followed by more advanced rounds in cities throughout China.
The global reach of the competition is clear from the nationalities of the candidates themselves. A total of 126 students were selected, representing the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The five continent-level champions who made their way to the final were from Brazil, Russia, Zimbabwe, South Korea and Australia.
Candidates not only needed to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in Mandarin Chinese, they are also required to have a detailed knowledge of Chinese culture and to be able to act it out. Events in the competition included Chinese character writing, debating, kung fu and pottery making.
In this year's competition, candidates traveled to Xi'an, the site of the burial chamber of China's first emperor and the Qin terracotta warriors, and Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province, one of the homes of Chinese pottery, where they had to make a piece of pottery themselves and sell it to the local people. The competition also took them to Anhua in Hunan Province to learn about tea culture.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)