On the 15th of July, Confucius Institute Maastricht hosted the Dutch final of the 20th Chinese Bridge Speech Competition online.
Contestants presented not only their amazing Chinese language skills but also shared inspiring personal stories about their Chinese learning journey.
The contest was broadcasted live by Media Service Maastricht and live-streamed on YouTube for anyone interested in the Chinese language and culture.
There were three rounds in the competition. In the first round, contestants gave an introduction of themselves in Chinese. In the second round, they gave a speech centered around the theme of One World, One Family. Each contestant shared their personal story to show their insight and understanding about this theme. After the speech, they selected an envelope asking for their opinion on a relevant social topic. In the final round, our contestants demonstrated their amazing Chinese-themed talent, including poetry reading, cooking, paper-cutting, and singing.
The event was hosted by the Director of Confucius Institute Maastricht, Xinxin Wang, who led both contestants and jury members through the whole event. We also invited two guest speakers: Mrs. Annemarie Penn-te Strake, Mayor of Maastricht, who gave an opening speech to welcome everyone to Maastricht virtually; and Mr. Luo Ping, Education Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands, who as a closing speaker shared remarks about how Chinese language education has developed in the Netherlands over the years.
After a hard time deciding who the final winners were, our jury members awarded the first prize to Brády. He will be receiving an opportunity to compete in the global finals of the Chinese Bridge Speech Contest in China and a scholarship of International Chinese Language Education.
The second and third prizes were awarded to Erik and Yoep. They will receive free admittance to two weeks Summer Camp Online Program offered by Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, a fully funded HSK course, and most important of all, the opportunity to do an internship position at one of our sponsors: the Sino-Europe Service Desk of LIOF, the Rights Company, Limburg startup Eggxpert, and SEIPA.
This event could not have been possible without help from its co-organizers, sponsors, and CIM staff. Special thanks go to Media Service Maastricht for technological support, Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Chinese Bridge Organization, Provincial Government Limburg, Maastricht Municipality, Sittard-Geleen Municipality, and Dongbei University of Finance and Economics.