Building a Platform for Cultural Exchanges - German Regional Final of 11th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students

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“Very Quietly I take my leave, as quietly as I came here; quietly I wave goodbye, to the rosy clouds in the western sky.”The German Regional Final of the 11th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary Students was hosted by the Education Office of the Chinese Embassy in German in Leipzig, and co-organized by the Confucius Institute at the University of Leipzig, and the City of Leipzig on June 16th. 15 secondary school students recommended by the Confucius Institutes in Germany gathered to demonstrate their learning achievements and had intensive exchanges of studies and understanding of Chinese in the new Town Hall of Leipzig.

Gabriele Goldfuss, Head of the International Relations Division of the City of Leipzig, delivered a speech in fluent Chinese, “German secondary school students make great efforts to study Chinese and show keen interest in China. Their enthusiasm for learning Chinese sets up a good example for more learners on the way.” Ms. Goldfuss graduated from the Department of Sinology, and she had studied in Beijing for two years. She hoped that more Germans could know more about Chinese culture and China itself through such activities.

“Living in the global village, we became closer to each other by studying Chinese. We are a family hand in hand, heart to heart. I am deeply attracted by the pictographic structure of Chinese characters and their four tones of voice. I have been longing for a visit to China since I was a kid." Qin Zhiyuan concluded his speech.

According to Liu Lixin, Minister Counselor of Education at the Chinese Embassy in Germany, there are 19 Confucius Institutes and 5 Confucius Classrooms in the country. More and more Germans hope to learn Chinese. 27 German universities have offered sinology or other courses about China. Chinese is an optional subject for graduation exams in more than 80 secondary schools due to the development of bilateral relations and the importance attached to language teaching by the two countries.

The 15 finalists have studying and living experiences in China. Wang Changyun, from the Berlin Romain Rolland Middle school, said that she worked as a volunteer in a nursing home to take care of Chinese grandmothers and became their German granddaughter. “China became my second hometown. I have left my heart there. I love China.”

Daniel, who is interested in history, is deeply impressed by the magnificent Terra-Cotta warriors, which, he believes, vividly shows the superb skills and splendid culture of the Qin dynasty. He said that he makes many like-minded friends and enjoys the pleasure of learning Chinese and its history.

Hai Han, a student from Bavaria in southern Germany, is the younger brother of the champion of the 9th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition. He won the second prize. He said that his brother met friends from all over the world in the “Chinese bridge”. He also wanted to be like his brother and become a messenger of cultural exchanges between Germany and China.

Liang Yong, Chairman of the judging panel of German division, and a professor at the University of Trier commented that, Chinese people have always attached great importance to the study, for the first sentence of The Analects of Confucius, one of the great Chinese literary works, “Is it not pleasant to learn with constant perseverance and application?” Such traditional Chinese culture should be cherished.

(Story by Hua Fang, People’s Daily, Page 3, June 18th, 2018)

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