By Wafaa Ezzat

Five contestants competed in thefinal round of the 17th “Chinese Bridge” held in Changsha, Hunan Province, on August 4, 2018.

On the evening of August 4th, the final round and closing ceremony of the 17th“Chinese Bridge” wrapped in the beautiful Changsha, capital of Hunan Province. After a month of fierce competition among over 152 contestants from 118 countries around the world, Russian contestant Ruslan Ustinov was crowned champion.

Organized by the Confucius Institute Headquarters(Hanban), or the Office of Chinese Language Council International, and the Hunan provincial government, the“Chinese Bridge” is a largescale Chinese proficiency competition for international college students that is well-known in cultural and educational exchange circles globally. Since the first“Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students was held 17 years ago, an ever increasing number of students have been learning Chinese globally and the number of Confucius Institutes has mushroomed as well.

According to Hanban, in 2017 a total of 2.32 million students studied in 1,113 classrooms at 525 Confucius Institutes in 146 countries and regions around the world.Over the past 17 years, the“Chinese Bridge” has become a major stage for young Chinese language learners to display their language proficiency.It’s also a significant platform for mutual learning as well as stimulating students’Chinese learning interest and enthusiasm. Furthermore,the competition serves as a“bridge” to promote cultural exchange between China and the rest of the world.

The theme for this year's competition was “One World,One Family” which is highly relevant to China’s place in the current global environment and echoes the Chinese traditional values of harmony and peace—China has always held the belief that the whole world is one big family. The“Chinese Bridge” competition has become a grand festival for increasing numbers of young talented Chinese learners from East to West to gather to share their experience learning the Chinese language and expressing their passion for the culture. Reasons for the growing popularity of Chinese language learning include the international community's warm attitude towards China's future development and the global public's longing to learn about Chinese civilization and culture.

This competition offers an exciting chance for all contestants from all over the world to explore and gain a deeper understanding of China and merge with other cultures as well. As one contestant noted, the “Chinese Bridge”is considered the Olympics of Chinese language. And it does serve very much like a bridge of culture and friendship and meeting of minds, bringing a whole new texture to the much-used phrase “people-topeople exchanges.”

Nineteen-yearold Ruslan Ustinov(first right) from Russia was crowned champion after besting four other contestants in thefinal round of the 17th “Chinese Bridge” held in Changsha, Hunan Province, on August 4, 2018.

In addition to testing language proficiency, the competition also tests knowledge of China, cultural skills and understanding.The event offers wide space to demonstrate cultural skills and understanding, and contestants have performed kung fu, tai chi, calligraphy,music, paper-cutting and many other skills. In addition to Grand First, Second and Third Prizes are a number of special awards for individuals such as Best Presentation, Best Performance, Best Eloquence,Best Tutor and more.

After enduring intense rounds of competition, five contestants stood out and qualified for the final round.Each contestant represented their home continent: Vivi of Indonesia represented Asia, Anthony Ekwensi of Nigeria represented Africa,Ruslan Ustinov of Russia represented Europe, John Klump Jr. of the United States represented the Americas, and Australian Theodore Stapleton represented Oceania. The finals featured three sections: I'm a China Hand, Sino-Western Stories, and free speech, with focus on evaluating students'knowledge of China, their ability to understand and reproduce historical events and topics, and their language skills.

The diversity of performances and language proficiency skills were exceptional, with performances ranging from emotional dramatic acting to energetic singing and dancing. Every contestant brought a unique style and flair to the competition. All of the finalists demonstrated a high level of understanding of Mandarin Chinese, extensive knowledge of Chinese culture and history, and creativity in their usage and knowledge of the language. Alongside the nail-biting competition was a full slate of entertainment on a stage festooned with props and lighting fit for Broadway.A gut punching sound system and world-class performances by contestants and local stars gave the finals a carnival atmosphere.

Although they hailed from different cultural backgrounds,they were united by common interest in Chinese language and culture. “I've always been fond of Chinese language and culture, but I'm most fascinated by Chinese art such as paper cutting, calligraphy and Chinese opera,” declared Indonesian contestant Vivi in fluent Chinese. “My passion for the Chinese language started in high school, when I would listen to many Chinese songs but never understood the lyrics, so I would look up the words in the dictionary.After graduation, my decision to study Chinese was a nobrainer.”

“I guess I fell in love with Chinese culture through kung fu movies,” recalled Ekwensi from Nigeria. “I remember watching Chinese kung fu movies for hours when I was a kid. Movies starring Bruce Lee, Jet Lee and Jackie Chan were quite popular back home.I thought they were very interesting and captivating,and I was impressed by the scenes of China. That was the first interaction between me and the Chinese language and culture, and it left such a deep impression on me that when I grew up, I decided to study Chinese.”

“I find Chinese people the most interesting part of the culture,” said Australian contestant Stapleton. “I say that based on my own experience in China—I'm very grateful for the friends I have made here. I think the people are the most capable of changing somebody's perception of a certain culture; they also help you deeply appreciate the culture in many different ways.To be honest, Australia used to lag behind in foreign language learning, especially the Asian ones, but now they are slowly bringing it into schools more.The Chinese government's scholarships have also helped to encourage a lot of students to learn the language, and that's actually how I learned my Chinese.”

“I have met many amazing young contestants from all overthe world, and we have shared so much laughter and shed many tears together,” gushed Klump from the U.S. “We made a special a bond that grew stronger every day. It will be very hard to say goodbye. I truly cherish every moment of this competition because you don't get to stand on such a huge stage every day and compete against some of the greatest Chinese learners out there.This competition showed me a side of Chinese people that I've never seen before; I genuinely admire their work ethic. When I got to know Chinese better, I realized that the more wealth someone truly has, the more modest they behave.”

A group photo of winners and presenters at the closing ceremony of the 17th “Chinese Bridge” held in Changsha, Hunan Province, on August 4, 2018.

“I was born and raised near China—my hometown,Chita, is located on the Sino-Russian border,” admitted the Russian contestant. “As I was surrounded by people who spoke Chinese from a very young age, I started to systematically study the language every day. The more I learned Chinese, the more interested I became. My neverending fascination with the country's language and culture grew with each passing day. I was fascinated by their wisdom and philosophy and by their rapid development in almost every industry and sector.China is developing at the same speed as the country's couriers.My dream is taking China's fast courier service back to Russia.I want to introduce Made-in-China products not just to Russia but to the whole world.”Ustinov was crowned winner of the 17th “Chinese Bridge”Competition.

All contestants admitted that Chinese language is very difficult to learn, but satisfaction is infinite because it is a gateway to the unique Chinese spirit and Chinese culture. The success of this year's competition builds on past years, which opened a window for people around the world to understand Chinese language and culture. “One World, One Family” illustrated the common global wish to build a world where the beauty of different civilizations is shared and equally appreciated.

This competition offers an exciting chance for all contestants from all over the world to explore and gain a deeper understanding of China and merge with other cultures as well.