China Bridge celebrates cultural ties

The Confucius Institute, Hunan province event creates bonds, promotes greater engagement, Li Fusheng reports.

Once every year a group of foreigners descend on Central China's Hunan province, speaking surprisingly fluent Chinese.

They are in fact college students who come to attend the annual Chinese Bridge contest, a language proficiency competition for foreign students. Changsha, capital of Hunan, has hosted the event 10 years in a row.

Organized by the Confucius Institute Headquarters - also known as the Hanban - and the Hunan provincial government, the event ran from July 11 to Aug 12 this year.

Titled "Dreams Enlighten the Future", it attracted 145 participants from 112 countries to show not only their Chinese proficiency but also their understanding of Chinese culture.

At the contest, they competed in tests on a wide range of topics including literature, history and geography. But unlike ordinary tests, they also had the chance to sing Chinese songs and try Chinese food.

Buzzwords such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the China Dream populated the participants' debates and speeches, and they skillfully performed Peking Opera and cross-talk, a traditional form of comedy.

Mohammed Elmoiez Mohammed Suliman Hussain, a contestant from Sudan, won this year's championship after rounds of competitions.

Zhang Yiqing, a Chinese language researcher with the Ministry of Education, said he was wowed by the contestants' performances.

"The contest this year had a special focus on Chinese characters and Chinese culture. Some contestants may have learnt for a short period of time but they have such a deep understanding, which convinces us of the Chinese culture's charm and influence."

In fact, for most of the 145 participants, the trip to Changsha was the first time they had been to China. They savored the local culture and visited places of interest, including the Yuelu Academy, one of the most renowned schools in ancient China.

The participants' enthusiasm shows the results of the Hanban's efforts to promote the Chinese language and culture, with the first institute established in 2004.

After 13 years of progress, there were 512 Confucius Institutes and 1,073 Confucius classrooms in 140 countries and regions by the end of last year, which are serving as a bridge connecting China with the rest of the world.

Of them, 170 Confucius Institutes are in Europe and 161 in the Americas.

Each year more than 6 million people sit HSK exams, a test of Chinese language proficiency organized by the Hanban, around the globe.

As the Chinese language is forming bonds around the world, the Hanban said it has prioritized expanding Chinese learning and improving the quality of education.

Besides enabling people around the world to learn the Chinese language, overseas Confucius Institutes are helping to boost cultural and business exchanges between China and those countries and regions.

They are also expected to play an increasingly important role as more and more countries are joining the Belt and Road Initiative.

Contact the writer at lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn

(HK Edition 08/18/2017 page22)