Chinese Bridge Competition | 汉语桥比赛
Since 2007, the Institute provided academic and financial support for Sheffield University students taking part in the annual Chinese Bridge speech contest held in London. Students are trained and accompanied to the event by Institute staff, and compete against candidates from other UK universities.
Due to Covid-19, Chinese Bridge Competition 2021 UK Regional Finals were held virtually on Saturday 26th June. You can watch the full competition /node/34411.
If you are interested in taking part in the next round, please contact us at confucius@sheffield.ac.uk.
The contest tests the candidates’ Chinese language skills and knowledge about China, and also involves a Chinese cultural performance. Sheffield candidates have regularly figured among top contestants, as detailed below.
If you would like to apply to take part in the Chinese Bridge Competition, please contact us.
Applications usually start around February.
The Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition is a large-scale international contest sponsored by Hanban, and is well known in the cultural and educational exchanges worldwide.
It consists of three events:
- Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign University Students
- Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign High School Students
- Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Students in China
The competition is held annually, organised and carried out by the Organising Committee.
The Chinese Bridge Competition aims to arouse the enthusiasm of students in various countries in learning Chinese and strengthen the world's understanding of Chinese language and culture. The competition has become an important platform for university students of various countries to learn Chinese language and learn about China. It builds a communication bridge between young people of China and other countries.
Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for foreign university students
Eligibility
University students with foreign nationalities, aged between 18 and 30 and overseas-born, whose first language is not Chinese.
Participation process
1. Preliminary rounds
The educational or cultural offices of Chinese Embassies (Consulates) or Confucius Institutes organise the overseas preliminary competitions, select and recommend contestants to attend the semi-finals held in China. Each contest region can also recommend one outstanding contestant to come to China to view the competition.
2. Semi-finals and final round
In July the semi-final round selects the players for the final round through testing their Chinese language proficiency, knowledge about China, Chinese cultural talents, etc. The final round results in the special award and the first, second and third place winners as well as the single award winners through elimination competitions.
Please visit the Hanban website for more information.
Previous winners
2021: BA Chinese and Japanese student at the University of Sheffield, Brogan Somer Mathieson was announced as the Third Prize winner at the UK Regional Finals of the Chinese Bridge Competition, held online on Saturday 26 June 2021. Her language performance and singing abilities, which included a cover of 多远都要在一起 (Long Distance) impressed the judges, academics and the Chinese ambassador to the UK.
Following on from this success, the Sheffield Confucius Institute's second contestant, Juliette Eileen Odolant, BA Chinese Studies student at the University of Cambridge impressed everyone watching the competition with her language skills & artistic flair and was awarded the Most Knowledgeable prize.
2017: BA Chinese Studies with Russian student, David Geary was announced as the winner of the Grand Prize at the UK Chinese Bridge Competition held in London on Saturday (22 April 2017). His language performance, which impressed the judges and members of the Chinese Embassy, included a rap in Mandarin Chinese, Chinese dialects and English.
2015: Two contestants representing SCI participated in the final round of Chinese Bridge (Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students) held at the British Library, London, in March, 2015. One of them, Rolf, who had only learned Chinese for a few months prior to the competition, having being trained by SCI teachers, was able to get through to the final.
2013: We actively took part in various events coordinated by Hanban, as in the preliminary round of the 12th edition of the Chinese Bridge Mandarin Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, Jasmin Knowles, a student put forward by our Confucius Institute, was selected to take part in the competition finals and was awarded the Knowledge Prize.
Another student, Liam Han, was invited to perform his splendid Mongolian Dance at the finals, which he performed to many enthusiastic cheers. In conclusion, a total of 149 cultural activities of all types were organised in the course of the current year, to audiences numbering over 18,000.
2012: On 17 March 2012, SEAS Chinese Studies students Sam Mannakee and Ross MacDonald were awarded 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the UK leg of the 11th Chinese Bridge international speech competition. Sam was among the top four finalists who represented the UK at the international finals of the contest in Changsha, China, where he reached the top 30.
2011: Students Adon Lawley and Olivia Jeffree entered the contest. Olivia came just short of being pre-selected for the final round, and Adon was awarded First Place in the semi-finals and Second Place in the finals of the UK leg of the competition. He will be one of the candidates representing the UK at the finals in Changsha, China in July 2011.
2010: Our entrants, Chloe Leiper and Tom Wilks, received “third prize” and the “outstanding performance prize” for Tom’s self-penned song “游子 Youzi”, which humorously describes how he learned Chinese and came to terms with cultural differences.
2009: The Institute supported SEAS students George Martin and Richard Heathcote to take part in the contest. Both students celebrated a great success with one third and one second place, as well as an Outstanding Knowledge Prize. George Martin, who won second place for Sheffield, was also one of the two candidates to represent the UK in the final round of the competition in China in July 2009 and came in the top 30.
2008: the Institute supported two SEAS students to take part, Alex Barton and Stefan Innerhofer. Both students were trained and accompanied to the event by Institute staff and succeeded in being awarded third prize.
2007: SCI supported SEAS student Tom Viart in preparation for the competition. Tom won a second place at the UK finals of the competition in London, and was one of the candidates to represent the UK at the finals in China.