The Final Round Of 5th Edition Of the ‘Chinese Bridge World Primary Students Chinese Language Competition’ For Bulgaria Has Been Held At the Confucius Institute in Sofia

On 17th May 2025, the final round of the 5th edition of the ‘Chinese Bridge World Primary Students Chinese Language Competition’ for Bulgaria has been held at the Confucius Institute in Sofia. The competition has been hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, and organised by the Confucius Institute in Sofia and co-organised by the Confucius Institute at the University of Veliko Tarnovo. Mr Yang Tian - Head of the Department For Education at the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, Assoc. Prof. Polina Tsoncheva - Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Literature of the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Assoc. Prof. Antonia Tsankova - Head of the Department of South, East and South-East Asia at the Faculty of Classical and Modern Languages and Literature at the University of Sofia, Mrs Liu Bei - a representative of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Sofia, Prof. Dong Yuanxing - the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Mrs Olga Yalamova - Headmistress of the ‘Evlogy And Hristo Georgievi Private Secondary School’, Mrs Aksiniya Koleva – the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and Prof. Chen Ying - the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, have been present at the ceremony. More than 200 people have attended the event, including teachers, students, parents, and members of the public.
Fifteen primary students from Sofia, Varna, Sliven, Shumen, Yambol and Chelopech have competed on the same stage. The competition has been divided in two parts: a free speech in Chinese and a demonstration of Chinese cultural skills. The competition has been judged by a jury of nine judges from the Chinese Cultural Centre of Sofia, the University of Sofia, the University of Veliko Tarnovo, the University of Plovdiv, the South-West University in Blagoevgrad, the Confucius Institute and the Confucius Classrooms under CIS, and the Confucius Institute and the Confucius Classrooms under the Confucius Institute at the University of Velikо Ternovo.
In the free speech section, the primary school contestants have vividly recounted their interesting stories and feelings about learning Chinese under the theme of ‘Happy Chinese’. In the talent demonstration section, the primary school contestants have demonstrated their unique insights and interest in Chinese culture through songs, dances, a lion dance, a sword dance, calligraphy, playing musical instruments, etc.
After a fierce competition, Kaloyan Rusev from the ‘Evlogi i Hristo Georgievi Private Secondary School’ - a teaching centre of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, has won the first prize with his excellent Chinese speech and creative space exploration drama. Nikola Bozhinov and Karina Pavlova from the ‘Evlogi i Hristo Georgievi Private Secondary School’ - a teaching centre of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, have won the second prize. Amelia Hyuseinova from the ‘Patriarh Evtimiy Primary School’ in Varna, Nicoleta Yordanova from the Chinese language course in Shumen under the Confucius Institute at the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Ema Yoveva from the ‘Evlogi i Hristo Georgievi Private Secondary School’ School in Sofia, and Lora Vasileva from the Confucius Classroom at the 18th Secondary School under the Confucius Institute in Sofia, have been awarded the third prizes.
In her closing speech, Mrs Aksiniya Koleva - the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, has said that the success of the competition has come due to the strong support of the Centre for Language Exchange and Cooperation and the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, and due to the hard work of the competition preparation team and the teachers working in the schools. She has highly praised the excellent performance of the participants and has shared her hope for them to become ambassadors of the cultural exchange between China and Bulgaria through their continued efforts.
The final rounds of the 2025 ‘Chinese Bridge Chinese Language Competition’ for university students, secondary students and primary students in Bulgaria, have been successfully concluded. The competitions have fully demonstrated the love of the Bulgarian youth for the Chinese language and culture, and have highlighted the deep heritage and the vigorous development of the Chinese language education in Bulgaria. In the future, the Confucius Institute in Sofia will continue to deepen the Chinese language teaching, to expand the cultural exchanges, and to inject new vitality into the friendship and the cooperation between China and Bulgaria.

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

Picture 1. The guests and the judges

Picture 2. Kaloyan Rusev's space storytelling drama

Picture 3. Blagovesta Michaylova's dance performance

Picture 4. Tomislav Todorov's calligraphy demonstration

Picture 5. Nikola Bozhinov’s lion dance performance

Picture 6. Ema Joveva's classical dance performance

Picture 7. Nikoleta Yordanova’s singing a song

Picture 8. Konstantin Petkov’s sword dance performance

Picture 9. Mr Yang Tian - Head of the Department For Education at the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria, has awarded the prizes to the winners of the primary students category and their teachers.

Picture 10. Closing words by Mrs Aksiniya Koleva - the Bulgarian director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia

Picture 11. A group photo at the venue