Confucius Institute in Sofia Organized Bulgarian National Round of “Chinese Bridge” Competition for Elementary School Students

On 20 May, the third edition of the international Chinese language competition “Chinese Bridge” for elementary school students took place at the big hall of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, which hosted the event. The competition was organized by the Chinese Embassy in Sofia and coorganised by the Confucius Institute at Veliko Tarnovo University.

Liu Xiuming, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, Iskra Mandova, Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute at Veliko Tarnovo University, Dong Yuanxing, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at Veliko Tarnovo University, Teodora Yonkova, Ph.D., Chinese language teacher at Veliko Tarnovo University, the directors of Confucius Institute in Sofia’s teaching sites and Confucius Classrooms, as well as representatives from Bulgarian and Chinese media, all took part in the event.

There were 10 judges from the Confucius Institute in Sofia, the Confucius Institute at Veliko Tarnovo University, as well as judges who are Sinologists and Chinese language teachers. As for the competitors, there were 13 elementary school students coming from different parts of Bulgaria to take part in the event. They showed their passion for Chinese language and culture, as well as their level of Chinese language and their talents through the two parts of the competition – a speech in Chinese and a talent connected to Chinese culture. When the students were giving speeches, their voices were full of emotion, and their childish manner of talking made the audience smile sweetly from time to time. In the talent show part, the contestants were very creative, they performed a lion dance, calligraphy, Chinese painting, paper-cutting, singing and dancing, playing and singing. All performances won applause from the audience who frequently raised their hands to take pictures with their mobile phones.

After fierce competition, Yanis Enchev won the first prize, Dara Gvozdeva won the second prize, and Andrea Chuchkova and Maxim Yovev won the third prizes. All of the winners study at Private Secondary School “Evlogi and Hristo Georgievi” in Sofia. Yanis Enchev will represent Bulgaria at the final round of the competition “Chinese Bridge’” in China.

After two months of careful preparation, the “Chinese Bridge” competitions for college students, middle school students and primary school students came to an end. Liu Xiuming, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, explained the significance of this competition in his concluding speech: “The “Chinese Bridge” competition provides a platform for Bulgarian Chinese learners to show themselves, and creates a good learning atmosphere for more Chinese learners. It is not only a wonderful display of the students' Chinese learning achievements, but also a test for Chinese teaching in Bulgaria. I sincerely hope that all the students can regard today's competition as an opportunity to work hard to practise their excellent Chinese skills, and accumulate the necessary foundation and ability for their future contribution to the society."

Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text: Chen Jie

Photographs: Petya Shukerska

Editors: Liu Xiuming, Aksiniya Koleva, Liu Tianchao

English translation: Dima Pironkova

Picture 1 The hosts on stage