The Chinese Bridge Chinese Language Competition 2025 Finals For Bulgaria Have Been Held At the Confucius Institute In Sofia

From May 10th to 11th 2025, the 18th edition of the Chinese Bridge Competition for secondary school students and the 24th edition of the Chinese Bridge Competition for university students final rounds for Bulgaria have been held at the Confucius Institute in Sofia. The competition has been hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, and has been organised by the Confucius Institute in Sofia. The Confucius Institute at the University of Veliko Ternovo have been the co-organisers of both competitions. Mrs Wang Min – the temporaty Head of the diplomatic mission of the Embassy of China in Bulgaria, Mr Yang Tian – the Head of the Department for Education at the Embassy of China in Bulgaria, Mr Lin Hao – Chief correspondent of the Xinhua News Agency Sofia Branch, Mr Cai Chun - Head of the Economic Daily News branch in Sofia, Assoc. Prof. Polina Tsoncheva - Dean of the Faculty of Languages at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Assoc. Prof. Iskra Mandova - the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Prof. Dong Yuanxing – the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Mrs Liu Bei – a representative of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Sofia, Mr. Chen Jianjun - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chinese-Bulgarian Cultural Exchange Association, Mrs Aksiniya Koleva – the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and Prof. Chen Ying – the Chinese director of CIS, have attended the opening ceremony. Many teachers and students from various schools under CIS, together with their parents, and people from the general public have attended the event. The audience numbered more than 500 people.
Mrs Wang Min - the temporaty Head of the diplomatic mission of the Embassy of China in Bulgaria, has announced in her opening speech that the ‘Chinese Bridge Competition’ is a language competition, but it is also a link between different cultures. Moreover, she has said that an increasing number of young Bulgarians are getting closer to the Chinese language and culture through ‘the Chinese Bridge Competition’, which actually has been building up a bridge of friendship between the Chinese and the Bulgarian people. Mrs Aksiniya Koleva - the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute Sofia, and Prof.Chen Ying - the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute Sofia, have expressed their gratitude to all the sectors of our society for their support to the competition. Moreover, they have encouraged the participants to fully express themselves and to act as ambassadors of the cultural exchanges between Bulgaria and China.
Eleven secondary school students and eight university students from Sofia, Velikо Tаrnovo, Ruse, Burgas, Blagoevgrad, Karlovo and other cities have registered to participate in the competition. All competitors have demonstrated determination and fierce competitiveness. The competition for the university students consisted of two sections: a free speech in Chinese plus answering questions, and a demonstration of Chinese culture skills, while the secondary school students competition has included an additional element - a written exam testing the participants on their knowledge about Chinese culture and Chinese language. The written test has comprehensively examined the contestants’ linguistic backgrounds, their knowledge about the country and their cultural literacy. The competition has been judged by a panel of 9 judges from the Chinese Cultural Centre in Sofia, the University of Sofia, the University of Veliko Tarnovo, the Southwest University of Blagoevgrad, and from the Confucius Classrooms under both the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and the Confucius Institute the University of Veliko Tarnovo.
During the section with the free speech on the main subject of the competition, the secondary students and the university students have respectively focused on both subjects, namely: ‘Fly high with Chinese’, and ‘One word, one family’. The contestants have shared their insights on Chinese language and culture with their own Chinese learning experiences. In the cultural skills demonstration section, the contestants have presented well-prepared art performancies: calligraphy, painting, dancing, martial arts, playing traditional Chinese musical instruments, poetry recitations and other talent demonstrations, which have vividly showcased their understanding for and their love for the Chinese culture.
In the secondary students category, Veronika Georgieva from the Confucius Classroom at the ‘Vasil Levski Secondary School’ under the Confucius Institute at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, has won the first prize for her excellent Chinese speech and her wonderful performance of a tongue twister. Velizara Borisova from the ‘Evlogy And Hristo Georgievi Secondary School’ under the Confucius Institute in Sofia, has won the second prize. Victor Stoyanov from the ‘Hristo Prodanov Secondary School’ in Karlovo and Kaloyan Nikolov from the ‘Evlogy And Hristo Georgievi Secondary School’ under the Confucius Institute in Sofia, have won the third prizes. In the university students category, students from the University of Sofia have won the first, the second and the third prizes with their outstanding performances. Tiana Aleksieva has won the first prize with her unique interpretation of the ‘One World, One Family’ topic and her beautiful recitation of the ‘Rainy Lane’ poem. Monika Petrova has won the second prize, and Radostina Bikova and Valentin Vassilev have won the third prizes. Veronika Georgieva and Tiana Alexieva will represent Bulgaria at the global finals of the competition in China in the secondary students and the university students categories.
The Xinhua, the People's Daily, the Sina News, the Malaysia Star, the African News Agency and many other mainstream media have reported the event in text, pictures and video.
On the 17th of May 2025, the Confucius Institute in Sofia will welcome the national finals of the 5th edition of the Chinese Bridge Primary Students Chinese Language Competition for Bulgaria, in which the young competitors will compete on the same stage and will show off their talents.

The Confucius Institute in Sofia
Text: Chen Chen
Photos: Huang Jun
Editors: Prof. Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva
English translation: Maya Kostadinova

Picture 1. Mrs Wang Min - the temporaty Head of the diplomatic mission of the Embassy of China in Bulgaria delivering her speech

Picture 2. Speech by Mrs Aksiniya Koleva and prof. Chen Ying - respectively the Bulgarian and the Chinese directors of the Confucius Institute in Sofia

Picture 3. Free speech by the secondary student Veronika Georgieva.

Picture 4. Calligraphy demonstration by the secondary student Denitsa Nedyalkova

Picture 5. University student Valentin Vassilev's painting

Picture 6. Secondary student Zornitsa Tabakova playing Guzheng (Chinese zither)

Picture 7. University student Polina Georgieva dancing

Picture 8. Poetry recitation by university student Tiana Aleksieva

Picture 9. Theatre performance by secondary student Velizara Borisova

Picture 10. Mr Yang Tian – the Head of the Department for Education at the Embassy of China in Bulgaria, presenting the awards to the winners of the secondary students category and their teachers.

Picture 11. Mr Yang Tian - the Head of the Department for Education at the Embassy of China in Bulgaria, presenting the awards to the winners of the university students category and their teachers.

Picture 12. The guests and the judges

Picture 13. A group photo of the secondary students competition

Picture 14. A group photo of the university students competition