LONDON, May 2 (Xinhua) -- More than 50 individual contestants and 18 group teams from across Britain gathered in London on Friday for the regional finals of the global "Chinese Bridge" Mandarin Speaking Competition for secondary school students.
The participants took the contest as a vibrant platform for showcasing their Chinese language proficiency and cultural understanding. Representing 35 schools from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, contestants impressed the judges and audience with personal stories and characteristic reflections on Chinese literature, poetry, history, cuisine, and traditional customs.
After the competition, Rueban Dulai from Queen Mary's Grammar School told Xinhua that his team did extensive research to create an innovative storytelling video inspired by the famous Chinese handscroll painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival."
"We wanted to make sure we embedded elements of Chinese culture," Dulai said, adding that the experience of observing other performances was also enriching. His team won second prize in the intermediate group category.
The group contest was divided into beginner and intermediate tiers, while the individual competition spanned five categories, from beginner to advanced.
Individual contestants were required to complete a two-minute prepared speech, an English-to-Chinese sentence translation, a live quiz, and an impromptu speech. Group participants presented storytelling video presentations, answered live questions, and tackled real-time translation tasks.
Judge Lu Yifei said he was impressed by the students' enthusiasm and effort, noting that every participant gave their best.
In his concluding speech, Zheng Wangquan from China's People's Education Press, a guest at the event, highlighted the competition's role in promoting cultural exchange between China and Britain. He expressed hope that the students would continue fostering mutual understanding through the power of language and culture.
This year's regional finals followed an online preliminary round held in March, which drew around 250 students from nearly 59 schools across the country.
