The 2019 Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for foreigners in Beijing, which attracted some 400 competitors from 58 countries and regions across the globe, came to a close Friday with Qu Yumin from Myanmar winning first place.
Qu was one of 14 contestants to make it to the finals after three rounds of dubbing Chinese classic film and television productions.
It is Qu's first year living in China and her Mandarin is already better than some Chinese native speakers. She studied Chinese for ten years in Myanmar. She believes studying Chinese will help her career.
"Since China has a large population, there are Chinese in any country you go to. If you can speak Chinese, you will be happy to be able to communicate with many people. I'm studying Chinese international education now. I will take Chinese culture back to Myanmar as a teacher," said Qu.
Besides pursuing her career goal, Qu said to enjoy her life in China a lot: "I m happy. I have so many friends who hang out and eat with me every day, and there is so much delicious food in China."
One of the judges said Chinese education is infused with the country's long history, rich culture, and more.
"Our education also pays attention to the current development of Chinese society, so international students in China do not only study on campus, but they can also experience the positive lifestyle and study the reality off-campus," said Yang Chenghu, the professor at Beijing Normal University.
Chinese Bridge was established in 2002, and since then, it has held all kinds of Chinese competitions for foreigners. It says it has attracted 1.4 million young people from more than 150 countries and regions. Officials said it's a bridge of peace.
"I hope these bilingual people who are proficient in Chinese and their own languages can play a role in economic development, social exchange, and language and cultural exchange, and contribute to the friendship between China and foreign countries," said Teng Lianshuai, the exchange director of Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban).
The official said China welcomes people from all over the world to come and build a community with a shared future.