CAIRO, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A qualifying round of an annual Chinese proficiency contest for foreign students concluded here in the Egyptian capital on Thursday.
Themed "Fly high with Chinese," the 16th edition of the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for foreign secondary school students in Egypt's division was held in the Confucius Institute at Cairo University, with nine finalists competing for a ticket to the final in China.
The players, all teenage students from the Egyptian Chinese Friendship School in Cairo, competed in self-introduction, delivering keynote speeches and showcasing a traditional Chinese art form, such as singing, dancing, or painting.
Mohamed Esmail won the distinguished prize. He was then qualified to represent Egypt in the final round.
"Learning the Chinese language and dance was really a big boost to my confidence. Now I'm able to appear on a stage in front of a large audience from various cultures and ages with no fears," said Esmail.
He conceded that learning Chinese was a challenge at the beginning, but became worthwhile when he managed to translate Chinese TV shows for his family, and stand out among his friends by singing Chinese songs.
Mariam Tarek, who came in first place, said to prepare for the contest, she spent almost two months to train on delivering a good speech about Chinese culture and on folk dance.
Gamal Al-Shazly, vice president for student affairs at Cairo University, said the "Chinese Bridge" is an effective channel for Chinese and people from other countries to deepen exchanges in culture and civilization.
Rehab Mahmoud, director of the Confucius Institute at Cairo University, said the number of Egyptian students who are enthusiastic to learn the Chinese language and to travel to China has been increasing.
