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Int'l students vie in mandarin contest

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-10 20:14

BEIJING: A total of 113 candidates from over 60 countries are attending the semi-final and final rounds of the 8th Chinese Bridge, Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, the Office of Chinese Language Council International (OCLCI) said Friday.

Deputy Director of the office Wang Yongli said the competition this year will be held in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province from July 9 to August 7.

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Competitors will be required to give lectures in the Chinese language, answer questions on Chinese culture and other knowledge. They will contest for six top prizes, six second  prizes and 18 third prizes.

Apart from competitions, candidates will also have tours in Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao to experience local customs and lives. Prize winners will receive scholarships sponsored by the Chinese government to allow further study in China, according to Wang.

Demand for learning the Chinese language has seen a quick rise in recent years, as China deepens its opening up policies and makes economic achievements.

Statistics from the OCLCI show that more than 40 million people overseas are learning Chinese.

"The competition not only offered a platform for young foreign learners to show their language talent, but also allowed more foreign people know about China", Wang said.

The annual competition was initiated in 2002 and has brought 593 candidates from 50 countries to China.