Collegestudentsfromacrosstheglobeattheclosingceremonyofthe17thChineseBridgeChineseProficiencyCompetitionforForeignCollegeStudentsinChangsha,HunanProvinceonAugust4PHOTOS:FRANCISCOLITTLEOnceayearinJulyandAugust,theCityofChangshaincentralChina’sHunanProvinceisinundatedwithyouthfulvoicesfromeverycorneroftheglobe.It’saneclecticandcolorfulinternationalgatheringthatbeganin2002andhasbeenpartofthecity’seventcalendarsince2008.
Andifyoulistenclosely,you’llhearthatthevoicesareallspeakingChinese.
There’sareasonforthat.Thisyear,thefinalsof17thChineseBridgeChineseProficiencyCompetitionforForeignCollegeStudents,China’spremierlanguagecompetitionforforeignstudents,tookplaceinChangshaonAugust4,andinsteadofEnglishbeingthelinguafranca-asisgenerallythecasewhenforeignnationalsmeetup-it’sthehighandlowtonesofChinesedominatingproceedings.Before2008,thefinalcompetitionwasheldindifferentplacessuchasBeijing,ShanghaiandChangchun.
Anycollegestudentundertheageof30whowasnotborninChinaoranyforeign-bornChinesewhosefirstlanguageisnotChineseiseligibletoenterthecompetition.
PreliminaryroundsareheldbetweenJanuaryandJuneincountriesacrosstheworld,withthesemifinalsandfinalstakingplaceinChinafromJulytoAugust.
OrganizedbytheConfuciusInstituteHeadquarters,alsoknownasHanban,andHunanProvincialPeople’sGovernment,thisyear’seventwasthemedOneWorldOneFamily.TheConfuciusInstituteisaneducationalandculturalorganizationwithglobalbranchesseekingtopromoteChinesecultureandlanguageabroad.
Thetopfivewinnersin2018wereRuslanUstinovfromRussia,whotookthetopprize,followedbyTheodoreJosephfromAustralia,GuanHuiminfromIndonesia,AnthonyEkwensifromNigeriaandJohnGardnerKlumppJr.fromtheUnitedStates.Eachofthemhadbeenthroughaselectionprocesstorepresenttheircontinent,emergingfromnearly100,000preliminarycontestantsaroundtheworld.
Speakingvolumes
ThebuilduptothecompetitionfinalsinChinawasheldoverafive-weekperiodfromJulytoAugust.Intheprocess,152collegestudentsfrom141contestingregionsin118countriesandregionsgotthroughthequalifyingroundsandthengatheredinChangshaforthelasteliminationphase.ItwasnervewrenchingstuffastheseyounglinguistsmorphedintoChinesebeforetheaudience’sveryeyeswhilebeingputthroughthepaces
Thefinalscomprisedthreesections:I’maChinaHand,Sino-WesternStories,andfreespeechaimedatevaluatingthestudents’knowledgeaboutChina,theirabilitytounderstandandreproducehistoricaleventsandtopics,andtheirlanguageskills.
OneofthethreejudgesthisyearwasHerbertMushangwe,DirectoroftheConfuciusInstituteattheUniversityofZimbabwe.
Mushangwe,whoholdsaPh.D.inteachingChineseasasecondlanguage,toldChinAfricathathefelthonoredtobeselectedasajudgeofsuchaprestigiouscompetitionfromalltheConfuciusInstitutedirectorsinAfrica.Hesaidthestudentswerejudgedonpronunciation,culturalknowledgeandperformanceonstage.
“Thiscompetitionisverytough.It’sgreattoseestudentsfromallovertheworldusingthemediumofChinesetocommunicatewitheachother.Ithinklanguageisthebestwayofunitingpeople,”saidMushangwe.
Alongwiththenail-bitingcompetitionwasafeastofentertainmentonastagefestoonedwithpropsandlightingthatwouldn’thavebeenoutofplaceonBroadway.Agutpunchingsoundsystemandhighlyprofessionalperformancesbythecontestantsandlocalpopstarsgavethefinalsacarnivalatmosphere.
ParticularlyspicywasthesonganddanceperformancebyIndonesianfinalistGuanHuimin,whoshouldseriouslyconsiderafutureinshowbusiness.Withallthe152studentswhocametoChinaonstageforthefinalewavingtheircountryflagsenthusiastically,itwaseasytoagreewithjudgeMushangwe-languagedefinitelyisthewaytounitepeopleandcelebratethisvitalthreadofhumanity.
KeepingtheflagflyinghighforAfricawasEkwensi,21,whofinishedthefourthoverallbutwasclearlyacrowdfavorite.
Ekwensi,aUniversityofNigeriafinal-yearstudent,wascrownedchampionoftheAfricancontinent.HetoldChinAfricathathehasbeenstudyingChinesefortwoyearsattheConfuciusInstituteinLagos,Nigeria.HewasattractedtothelanguageafterbeingcaptivatedwithkungfumoviesasachildandthendevelopingafascinationforChinesecharacters.
“Iwascurious.WhenIsawChinesecharacters[forthefirsttime],Iwonderedhowpeoplecouldreadthem.Iwantedtogiveitatry,”hesaid.
Ekwensihascomealongwaysincethenandnowspeaksthelanguagewithconfidence.AsitwashisfirsttimetovisitChina,hewasn’tsurewhattoexpect,butwasimpressedwiththepaceofdevelopmentandtheeasewithwhichhewasabletointeractwithlocals.
DuncanAcorlor,22,fromGhanamadethelast15andtheebullientstudentwasvotedmostpopularonlinecontestant.
“Idon’tknowwhyIwonthis,”hesaidmodestly.“ButIhavealotoffriendsbackhomeinGhanafromtheConfuciusInstitutewhowereverysupportive.IalsostudiedChineseforayearatTaiyuanUniversityofTechnologyinShanxiProvince[andthestudentsthere]supportedme,”hesaid.
Apartfromthecontestants,therewerealsoagroupofstudentobserverswhohadtheirtripssponsoredbytheConfuciusInstituteHeadquarters.Oneofthem,JusticeGurti,24,astudentfromTanzaniatraveledtoChangshafor12daystowatchandexperience.Hecamethesecondinhiscountry’squalifyingroundofthelanguagecompetition.
GurtiisabigfanofChinesefoodandalthoughhehasonlybeenstudyingChineseforsixmonths,heburntthemidnightoiltomakeimpressiveprogress.
“LanguageisagoodwaytoimprovecooperationbetweenAfricaandChinabecausenotmanypeoplehereinChinaspeakEnglish,soIcancommunicatedirectlywiththeminChinese.IwillstudyharderandenterthecompetitionagainnextyearandhopefullyIcanwinit,”hesaid.
Worldwideconnection
SincethefirstChineseBridgeChineseProficiencyCompetitionforForeignCollegeStudentswasheld17yearsago,aneverincreasingnumberofstudentshavebeenlearningChinesegloballyandthenumberofConfuciusInstituteshasmushroomedworldwide.Bytheendof2017,accordingtoHanban,therewere525ConfuciusInstitutesand1,113ConfuciusClassroomsin146countriesandregionsaroundtheworld,atwhich2.32millionstudentsstudiedthatyear.
StatisticsshowthatAfricahad54ConfuciusInstitutesand27ConfuciusInstitutesclassroomsuptodate.
Asonecompetitorsaidinpassing,theChineseBridgeChineseProficiencyCompetitionforForeignCollegeStudentsisseenasthe“Olympics”ofChineselanguage,andverymuchabridgeofculture,friendshipandmeetingoftheminds,bringingawholenewmeaningtotheoftenusedphrase“people-to-peopleexchanges.”
NigerianstudentAnthonyEkwensifinishedfourthoverallin17thChineseBridgeChineseProficiencyCompetitionforForeignCollegeStudentsCommentsto