Roundup: Malta holds Chinese proficiency contest for high school students

VALLETTA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Maltese national qualification contest of the 16th "Chinese Bridge", a Chinese language proficiency competition for high school students, was held in Hamrun, Malta, on Saturday.

Teenage contestants demonstrated their language skills through speeches on the theme of "Fly High with Chinese." They also displayed their talents in various shows.

Their speeches reflected their enthusiasm for learning Chinese, with phrases such as "Encountering Chinese was both accidental and inevitable" and "The ancient Chinese culture attracts me with its beauty and uniqueness. Through learning Chinese, I have the opportunity to better understand these cultures and deeply experience their wisdom."

In the talent show segment, students showcased their skills in calligraphy, recitation, and performances of Chinese songs with musical instruments.

While waiting for the competition results, the students enthusiastically engaged in fun games such as picking up ping pong balls with chopsticks.

Anna Dubinina, a 10th-grade student from St. Martin's College in Malta, won the first prize. Anna started learning Chinese in 2016 and described it as a challenging yet interesting language. She told Xinhua that after discussing with her parents, she decided to challenge herself and learn Chinese.

As the winner in Malta, Anna will represent the country in the global finals of the "Chinese Bridge" competition for secondary school students which will be held in China this summer.

Despite the differences in size, population, history, and culture between China and Malta, "we enjoy sound and stable bilateral relations and deep friendship" since the establishment of diplomatic relations half a century ago, said Peng Yijun, counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Malta.

Peng expressed his hope for the "Chinese Bridge" to serve as a bridge of exchange, understanding, and friendship. He also encouraged the students learning Chinese to act as young ambassadors, promoting mutual learning of civilizations and carrying forward our friendship.

Alice Micallef, assistant director of the Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes at the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research, and Innovation expressed her expectations for next year's competition and hoped for more secondary school students to participate.

The event was co-organized by the Chinese Embassy in Malta, the Confucius Institute at the University of Malta, and the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation.