Putting in a good word for culture

Other than Chinese, foreign guests who previously took part in Chinese Bridge were also invited to the studio for the televised show, where they were able to have onscreen communication with the candidates. While all guests could only comment on candidates in previous contests, in 2022, they could also choose the category and difficulty level of questions for the candidates to answer.

"At Chinese Bridge, candidates are not only competing with each other but also sharing with the audience their experiences of Chinese culture," says Yue Qi, a professor at International Chinese Education Center, Communication University of China, who was one of the guests last year.

"The primary school students sang classic Chinese pop songs with affection, touching us with their innocent voices. It was just like a marvelous concert."

According to her, young children have an advantage when learning a second language, especially in listening and pronouncing words. At a later age, it's relatively difficult to practice a language with a different pronunciation than their mother tongue.

She says organizing interesting teaching activities can make learning Chinese more effective and increase one's enthusiasm. For example, it's easier for young students to sing ancient poems as they remember the lyrics.

"For foreigners who want to learn Chinese, interest is the best teacher. They should brush up their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills at the same time. While they can improve listening and speaking after class, they have to receive a systematic training for reading and writing in class," Yue says.