Young language learners test their skills at Chinese Bridge events in Tianjin

A series of Chinese Bridge international Chinese-language events have landed in Tianjin this year. With competitions, summer camps, and school exchange visits working in concert, the city has become an immersive practice stage for language learners from abroad.

Recently, young campers from Portugal took part in a challenge in Tianjin. They were tasked with speaking only Chinese for a full day and stepping out of textbooks to put their language skills into practice.

Supported by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, the 14-day trip was organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of Lisbon and hosted by Tianjin Foreign Studies University. The campers wandered through streets and alleys, experienced folk customs, visited high-tech industrial parks, and took part in homestay exchanges.

Off camera, they shared how they became interested in Chinese. Anabela Ventura Carraca said she became captivated by Chinese culture after seeing a Peking Opera performance in Lisbon. Later, Chinese films and TV shows helped her pick up a scattered Chinese vocabulary, and her curiosity eventually led her to study the language.

Monique Paracampos Marinho da Silva said she was drawn to the structure of Chinese writing. "Chinese characters combine two components to create an entirely new meaning," she said. "This unique logic of character formation has expanded the way I think."

This month, the 19th Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students and the 6th Chinese Show for Foreign Primary School Students, both Chinese Bridge events, are being held in Tianjin. Contestants from 106 countries have gathered in the city to explore and put their skills to the test.

Liu Jianqing, deputy director of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, said that a mature competition system and the city's ancient heritage make Tianjin an excellent stage for foreign teenagers to immerse themselves in Chinese culture.

Wang Jincheng, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Lisbon, said that language and culture are mutually reinforcing. Integrating cultural elements into Chinese character studies helps to keep enthusiasm alive.

He noted that Macao's history has created an emotional bond between the peoples of the two countries. "Portugal currently has five Confucius Institutes in operation, and another is about to be inaugurated," he said. "The cultural ties cultivated over centuries continue to nourish friendly exchanges between young people in China and Portugal today."

Liu Jiayi and Hu Yang contributed to this story.