Russian teenager takes 1st prize in Chinese Bridge competition

His strategy for overcoming the difficulty was simple - "engage in more exchanges with the Chinese people", he said. The biggest improvement came from his experience as a tour guide for Chinese people. At the beginning, he was worried the tourists would not understand him. But as the tourists were so enthusiastic, he became more confident about speaking the language, and his oral Chinese improved.

In a short time, he was able to fluently introduce the history, culture and customs of Russia, and could even point out which local specialties were worth a try when shopping in markets.

Ustinov said he found the competition more like a Chinese class. "Besides the language, I have also learned the history and culture of China, and made many good friends from all over the world," he said.

One of the judges for the final, Herbert Mushangwe, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe, in Harare, said, "The Chinese language learning and Chinese Bridge competition let the world see the splendidness of different cultures and the charm of Chinese learning."

Ustinov said he would take a short break in Russia after the competition before returning to China next month to continue his studies for another two years.

Xinhua