On May 28^th, The Confucius Institute at the Cave Hill Campus of The University of West Indies, in cooperation with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Barbados (hereinafter referred to as the Confucius Institute) jointly hosted this year’s annual Chinese Bridge Competition in Barbados at the Confucius Institute, presenting a vibrant celebration of Chinese language and culture. The event brought together students from various schools, showcasing their linguistic talents and cultural knowledge. 

Initiated by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation in China, the Chinese Bridge Competition has started since 2002, attracting more than 1.4 million students from over 150 countries to participate over the years. It is called the “Olympics” for international Chinese education, aiming at promoting knowledge and understanding of China and strengthening cooperation between China and other countries. Through screening on CCTV (China’s largest television) and live streaming on new media platforms, millions of people will come to appreciate this extravaganza together, including more than 100 million audience each year outside China watching.

Competition Structure

The Chinese Bridge Competition consists of two stages: preliminary rounds and the global final. The preliminary rounds will be held in countries all over the world by the Chinese Embassies and the Confucius Institutes of each country, which aims at teaching Chinese language and culture worldwide. The competition on May 28^th was the preliminary round for Barbados, which incorporates three levels: primary level, secondary level and tertiary level. The first prize winner of each level is recommended to participate in the global final in China and it is the same for the preliminary rounds at other countries.

Participants

This year’s competition saw 12 primary level participants from the Charles F. Broome Primary School, the St. George Primary School and the St. Stephen’s Primary School; three secondary level participants from the Ellerslie School and the Lodge School, and two tertiary level participants from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. During the competition, the participants competed in various segments, including self-introduction in Chinese, keynote speech, quizzes about language and culture and talent show with standout performances that captivated the audience.

Judges

The panel of judges included Counsellor Huang Xinhua from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; Ms. Kerri-Ann Haynes-Knight from the Office of the Principal, of the Cave Hill Campus of The University of West Indies; Ms. Philomena Lee from the Chinese Association of Barbados; Co-Director Professor Nie Lu from the Confucius Institute and President Dr. Ché Leon C. Corbin from Barbados – China Returned Scholars Association. Counsellor Huang was impressed by the performance of the participants. He emphasized the importance of such events in fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding. “The Chinese Bridge competition not only highlights the linguistic achievements of our students but also strengthens the cultural bonds between Barbados and China”, Counsellor Huang remarked.

Highlights

Competitions for primary, secondary and tertiary levels proceed in order. First was the primary level competition, the largest of the three levels. All the participants are selected from the schools where the Confucius Institute teaches Mandarin and Chinese Culture. The second place winner Dominick Holder from Charles F. Broome performed Baduanjin (a kind of Chinese qigong) at the talent show part. The melodious notes of Chinese traditional music and smooth movements brought a fresh breeze into the sometimes tense competition atmosphere. He taught himself through videos but his movements were quite accurate. Judge Dr. Che, who has studied and practiced Chinese medicine for several years, was deeply impressed by Dominick’s performance and hopes that he can continue practicing.

Then came the competition for secondary school students. In the talent show part, the first prize winner Techinnah Yacinthe sang the theme song “Nameless Generation” from her favorite Chinese series named Go Go Squid. This song is filled with loneliness but also full of passion and dreams for the future. Techinnah developed her interest in Chinese through watching Chinese dramas and she believes that interest in the best teacher.

Finally in the tertiary level, the participants all came from the Cave Hill Campus. The second place winner, Aaliyah Chase, has only taken Chinese class as an elective course for one semester, but she has shown a talent in Chinese as a language student. She also drew a Chinese landscape painting using brushes, which gave goosebumps to the judges and the audience.

Gratitude and Future Aspirations

After the competition, principals and teachers present expressed gratitude for the coaching provided by teachers and to all the staff who made the event possible. They also felt proud for the students who participated and won prizes in the competition. Deborah Waithe-Jones, Principal of St. George Primary school said  that the students all like their Chinese teachers very much and she expressed the hope that the students studying Chinese this year can proceed with their study next year. The mom of Zahavi Small, the first prize winner in the primary school level competition, has shown her support all along in the competition. She saw the competition as a very good opportunity for the students to present themselves and expressed the sincere hope that more people in Barbados can become aware of it and participate.