Foon Yew student wins national title with strong command of Mandarin
Amid strong competition, Nur Liyana Balqis Mohd Shahril emerged champion at the recent 19th Chinese Bridge – Chinese Proficiency Competition for Secondary School Students (Malaysia Division).
The Foon Yew High School, Kulai, Johor, student will represent Malaysia at the global finale in China, expected to be held between August and September.
Nur Liyana Balqis’s outstanding command of the Mandarin language and deep appreciation of Chinese culture earned her the top spot at the national-level competition, which brought together 26 non-Chinese participants from secondary schools nationwide to showcase their language skills, cultural understanding and enthusiasm for Chinese language learning.
The preliminary round of the competition, which commenced in March, culminated in the grand finals at a hotel in Perak on May 16.
Hosted by the Confucius Institute at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (CI UTAR) and organised by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia, the competition served as a qualifier for its global finale, which attracted participation from youths across more than 60 economies worldwide.
Themed “Fly High with Chinese”, the Malaysian division finals featured a written language proficiency test, speech and talent showcase, where participants’ written and spoken abilities as well as artistic talents were put to the test.
Through these sessions, five finalists were selected and tasked with presenting an impromptu speech titled “The Place in China I Most Wish to Visit”.
Highlighting the significance of the competition to Malaysia-China’s long-standing diplomatic relations, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia education counsellor Zhao Changtao said it served as a meaningful platform to showcase local students’ growth in their Chinese language learning journey.
Expressing his gratitude to CI UTAR, he said the institute has firmly established its presence in Malaysia, actively promoting Chinese culture as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
“It has organised Chinese language teaching, cultural experience and academic exchange activities, making significant contributions to the development of Mandarin education in Malaysia and the strengthening of mutual understanding between the people of China and Malaysia,” he said in a press release.
Meanwhile, UTAR vice-president (student development and alumni relations) Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong reinforced the varsity’s emphasis on cross-cultural education and international exchange.
“As one of the country’s key higher education institutions, we hope to advance the development of Chinese language education and deepen understanding and friendship between the people of Malaysia and China through CI UTAR, further inspiring cultural integration,” he said, adding that the competition was an important platform connecting youths with the Chinese language and culture.
“We hope students will continue to pursue their passion for learning, broaden their global perspectives, and eventually become young ambassadors of friendship between the two economies,” he concluded.
Winners of the 19th Chinese Bridge – Chinese Proficiency Competition for Secondary School Students (Malaysia Division)
Champion and Best Presentation Award: Nur Liyana Balqis (Foon Yew High School, Kulai, Johor)
1st runner-up: Khavya Guru Raja Guru (SMJK Nan Hwa, Sitiawan, Perak)
2nd runner-up: Arwen Darwisya Amri (SMK Pusat Bandar Puchong 1, Puchong, Selangor)
Best Eloquence Award: Thamayanthee Kaliswaran (SMJK Poi Lam Ipoh, Perak)
Best Talent Award: Auraa Nur Khaleda Amri (SMK Bandar Puchong Jaya B, Puchong, Selangor)
Excellence Award: Auraa Nur Khaleda; Shania Mitra Vicknesh (Foon Yew High School, Seri Alam, Johor); Shivesh Heiden Baskaran and Nivya Keshok Kumar (Foon Yew High School, Kulai, Johor); Khayla Adrianna Irwan Bakti (SMK Cyberjaya, Selangor)
