On 19 September, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming attended the UK Regional Final of the 19th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students online and delivered a speech entitled Share the Beauty of Chinese, Build the Bridge of Friendship and Promote Mutual Learning between Civilizations.

More than a thousand people watched the competition via Zoom or live streaming of YouTube and Facebook, including Professor Medwin Hughes, Vice Chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Vivienne Stern, Director of Universities UK International (UUKi), Fang Wenjian, Chairman of China Chamber of Commerce in the UK, Professor Dolores Kelly MLA, Chief Whip of Social Democratic and Labour Party, Chairperson of Northern Ireland Assembly All Party Group on China, Tim Losty, Director of International Relationship, Office for the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Sarah Chidgey, China and Hong Kong Lead (education sector) at Department for International Trade (DIT), leaders of Coventry University, De Montfort University, Heriot-Watt University, University of Hull, and Newcastle University, Chinese and British heads of 30 Confucius Institutes across the UK, teachers and students from UK universities, secondary schools and primary schools, friends and relatives of the contestants, and representatives from Chinese and British companies. The event was reported by Chinese and British media, including People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, China Radio International, CCTV, China Daily, Nouvelles d'Europe, 21st Century Business Herald, UK Chinese Journal, and the Chinese Weekly.

In his speech, Ambassador Liu said, this year is the first time that the “Chinese Bridge” Competition is held online. Although the gathering is happening “in the cloud” rather than face-to-face, the shared enthusiasm for the Chinese culture has brought everyone closely together just like before.

“The theme of the competition – ‘One World, One Family’ - is particularly relevant in this special year. COVID-19 has been ravaging the world since its outbreak. Countries around the world have been tiding over the difficulties together, supporting and sticking with each other through thick and thin. The pandemic has brought us closer and made us stronger. It has also enabled us to realize that mankind is a community with a shared future, and that regardless of nationality, race, skin color or language, the world is one big family,” said the Ambassador.

Ambassador Liu noted that in building “One World, One Family” and contributing to a community with a shared future for mankind, learning and mastering the Chinese language will be of great importance. First, it will gather support for world peace. Peace and benevolence are traditional values that are deeply rooted in the heart of the Chinese people. The Chinese language is a key that opens the door to understanding these values, such as Confucius teaching of “harmony without uniformity”. “I hope that with your mastery of the Chinese language and culture, you will become supporters for open and inclusive values as well as builders of peace in a world that is undergoing changes unseen in a century,” added Ambassador Liu.

Second, it will pave the way for mutual assistance and win-win cooperation. China and the UK have had productive cooperation in tackling the COVID-19 outbreak, coordinating policies, sharing experience, providing medical supplies, and developing vaccines and medicines. “Currently, Covid-19 has been brought under control in China, and businesses and factories are reopening. This will provide greater opportunities for cooperation with other countries including Britain,” said the Ambassador, “I hope you will leverage your bilingual skills and contribute to the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the UK.”

Third, it will open the door to mutual trust and mutual learning. The world today is still not free from cultural barriers and walls of bigotry. “To bring an end to the estrangement and clash between different civilizations and the claim of supremacy of one over the others, we must promote exchanges, encourage mutual learning and advocate coexistence.” Despite the impact from COVID-19 on international travel and educational exchanges, there is still among the young people here in the UK a growing enthusiasm for studying in China. “The Chinese language is a ‘golden key’,” said the Ambassador, “I hope you will use it to open the door to understanding Chinese civilization and to promote mutual learning, mutual respect and mutual trust not only between China and Britain but also between the Eastern and Western civilizations.”

The Ambassador quoted from a letter that President Xi Jinping wrote to international students in Beijing.

“China welcomes outstanding young people from all over the world to China for studies. I encourage you to learn more about the country, to communicate more with young people here and to tell more to the world about what you see in China. I hope young people around the world will join hands to bring people of different nations closer and to contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.”

Ambassador Liu added that he hoped the students would all work harder to learn and master the Chinese language, and become envoys of China-UK friendship, builders of ‘One World, One Family’ and contributors to a community with a shared future for mankind.

Vice-Chancellor Medwin Hughes said in his speech that the pandemic does not respect national borders or discriminate against any civilizations. As citizens of the world, people must work closely together. “Chinese Bridge” will help people think more deeply about and enhance understanding of different cultural values, as well as appreciation of human nature and traditions. Since 2002, more than 1.4 million students from some 150 countries have taken part in the “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition. It is an important platform for understanding the value of Chinese traditional culture and its connection with world civilization. People should respect cultural diversity, build up friendship and, through our understanding and judgment, reach consensus on the core value of civilization.

Director Vivienne Stern said that it is important for the UK and China to maintain cooperation in scientific research and exchanges of teachers and students. Over the past years, the UK and China have made huge progress in these respects. Since 2013, the scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries has increased by 116%, making China the UK’s third largest cooperation partner in scientific research. There are more than 120,000 Chinese students currently studying in British universities, and China is also one of the most popular overseas destinations for British students, currently ranking the ninth. Last year, the number of British students studying in China has increased by 17% compared to the year before, and that means China’s ranking as a popular destination for British students will continue to move up as its universities continue to build a stronger reputation. Deepening people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the UK and China will not only promote cooperation in science and education, but also strengthen the mutual trust, respect and understanding of the two countries in safeguarding world peace and security. She extended her best wishes to the contestants and hoped that they will help build the foundation for a steady and mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries in the future.

Fang Wenjian, Chairman of China Chamber of Commerce in the UK and General Manager of Bank of China London Branch, said that Chinese companies in the UK, having enormous demands for bilingual talents speaking both Chinese and English, will continue to support Chinese language and culture studies in the UK and provide internship and job opportunities for outstanding contestants.

Ten finalists from 10 universities, including University of Edinburgh, Cardiff University, University of Manchester, Durham University, SOAS University of London, University of Westminster, Coventry University, Heriot-Watt University, De Montfort University, and University of Leeds, competed in the UK final online. They made speeches on selected topics, took quizzes, gave talent shows and shared self-recorded videos to demonstrate their proficiency in Chinese language and their understanding of the theme “One World, One Family”.

The competition had many highlights. Gabriel Marriage from University of Manchester shared the story of how learning Chinese helped cure his autism, believing that “when God closes a door, he opens a window”. Henry Rahman from SOAS University of London performed a lively Kuaiban show, telling a Chinese folk story of The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains. Twin contestants, Robin Wilson from Heriot-Watt University and Owen Wilson from University of Edinburgh, both left a deep impression on the audience.

The winners of the grand, first, second and third prizes of the UK regional final, Henry Rahman from SOAS University of London, Rebecca Landriani from University of Leeds, Olajumoke Ogunlaiye from Coventry University, and Robin Wilson from Heriot-Watt University respectively, will represent the UK at the global final of the 19th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition.