BiH hosts "Chinese Bridge" competition

SARAJEVO, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The Preliminary Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, or dubbed as "Chinese Bridge", took place on Wednesday in Pale, some 20 km southeast of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

This is the first time the competition was held here offline since the outbreak of the COVID-19.

The Chinese Bridge competition in BiH was traditionally organized by the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of East Sarajevo.

Twelve competitors, all students of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of East Sarajevo, competed in Chinese language proficiency as well as in mastering cultural and artistic tasks.

This year's winner is Sasa Brezo, a fourth-year student. Lamija Hajrovic, second-year student, scored second, while Ana Simic, a third-year student, took third place.

Vladan Bartula, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of East Sarajevo, said that the Department of Chinese Language and Literature is the most representative department of the university.

"It has not only made great achievements in Chinese language teaching, but also carried out very successful cooperation with China in various aspects in recent years," Bartula said, adding that he hoped to continue the cooperation with China in the future.

Chinese Bridge Competition for Foreign College Students is the world's largest Chinese language and culture competition, held worldwide since 2001. The final phase of the competition will take place in China in August. This year's winners will have the chance to travel to China and represent BiH in the finals.