South African Final of 20th "Longyuan Mulilo Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students successfully held online

The South African Final of the 20th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Town, was successfully held online on June 5 and 6. The event was conducted by Zoom and broadcast live on YouTube. Over 300 people watched the event online. Longyuan Mulilo De Aar Wind Projects sponsored this competition.

The South African Final of the 20th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students is successfully held online.

The theme of the event was "One World, One Family". 14 contestants from the Durban University of Technology, University of Cape Town, Rhodes University, Stellenbosch University, University of Western Cape and University of Johannesburg gathered online to participate in the competition. Representatives from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa and the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Cape Town were also invited to join.

Chen Xiaodong, Chinese ambassador in South Africa, delivered a speech reviewing the history of the vigorous development of China-South Africa relations. He pointed out that language cooperation plays an irreplaceable role in deepening the mutual understanding between the two peoples and consolidating the public opinion foundation for the friendship between the two countries. His remarks also revealed the connection between the theme of this competition "One World, One Family" and the concept of " A Community with a Shared Future for Mankind " put forward by President Xi Jinping. The ambassador encouraged the contestants to master the Chinese language, become friendly messengers for promoting China-South Africa friendship, promote the "One World, One Family" initiative, and become contributors for a community with a shared future for mankind.

Professor Sue Harrison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation from the University of Cape Town, praised this competition as a bridge for Chinese language learners in South Africa to get together online at a time of social distancing caused by the pandemic. She reviewed the history of the establishment and development of the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Town, and its performance in previous Chinese Bridge competitions. She affirmed the good role of the Confucius Institute in promoting cultural diversity on the university campus.

Due to the pandemic, this year's competition continued the online model adopted last year, using the Internet to break through the boundaries of time and space, so that the event attracted more people's attention. The intensity and excitement of the online competition was no less than those in offline competitions. The contestants demonstrated their understanding of the theme of "One World, One Family" through speeches, and demonstrated their understanding and love of Chinese culture through various singing, dancing, martial arts, calligraphy, painting, poetry recitation, and cooking performances. Through this competition, South African students showcased their Chinese language proficiency and artistic talents, winning praise from online guests and audiences.

After two days of fierce competition, Counsellor Li Xudong from the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa finally announced that Katleho Kenneth Ntahale from the University of Cape Town and Simnikiwe Sangoni from the University of Johannesburg won first prizes in this competition; Sonia Charity Sajjabi Namukuta from Rhodes University, Jamie Alexandra Hull from the University of Cape Town, and Tiah Julia Julius from the University of Western Cape won second prizes.

Dr. Ma Yue, Chairman of the Chinese Language Teachers Association South Africa and Director of the Chinese Section at the University of Cape Town, shared comments highly praising each contestant’s performance. Counsellor Li Xudong made a concluding statement on the competition.