Youngsters proud to take 'bridge' to China


Zakhar Likuev, a 10-year-old from the Hope Chinese Charter School in Oregon, fluently recited the Three Character Classic, commonly known as San Zi Jing, which highlights Confucian morality and wisdom.
Likuev, who waved a red ribbon and tapped his feet to the beat, was among the six American K-12 finalists on Saturday who showcased their proficiency in Chinese language and culture. They competed for two seats in the International "Chinese Bridge" Finals this summer in Beijing.
According to Tang Jun, the education consul at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, the six have defeated about 1,000 peers in earlier state-level preliminaries from Oregon, North Carolina, Minnesota, California and beyond, and represent the highest-level product of Chinese language and culture studies in the US.