LONDON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The United Kingdom (UK) hosted regional finals for a global Chinese language competition here Thursday, with contestants from schools across the country proving their prowess in the language.
Students from 37 secondary schools across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland competed in the regional finals of the 17th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students.
Altogether 17 students won prizes in the individual competition category while six teams were awarded prizes in the group category.
Nathan Evans, a contestant from Pinner High School, told Xinhua that he found Chinese culture interesting and he would never have learned about the culture if he hadn't chosen to learn the language.
"Our class usually focuses on the language itself, but we do often delve into the culture behind it," said the ninth grader who has been learning Chinese since year seven. At his school, Chinese is compulsory for students in grades seven and eight.
Evans was among the 47 individual contestants who showcased their Chinese language proficiency through presentations, impromptu speeches, and Q&A sessions, covering a wide range of topics from campus life and new technologies to Chinese characters and tourist attractions in China.
"Learning Chinese offers students valuable advantages for their future as the language will give them more opportunities in work and can enhance their communication and collaboration skills," said Liu Jiayu, a Chinese teacher at Pinner High School.
In the group competition, about 60 students from 15 teams presented self-created videos of Chinese skits. The winning projects include stories featuring the Year of the Dragon and renowned Chinese heroine Mulan.
Jin Wei, one of the judges for the competition, said they were "extremely impressed" by the "brilliant job" done by all contestants and hoped they would persist in their journeys of learning Chinese.
The competition was jointly organized by the UK Chinese Bridge Club and Chinese Proficiency Test UK committee. In March, about 250 students from 60 schools across the UK took part in the preliminary rounds of the competition.
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