Roundup: Chinese language proficiency contest held in Pakistan

The 15th "Chinese Bridge" competition, a Chinese language proficiency competition, was held here on Friday, highlighting the quest and talent of Pakistani students in Chinese language.

The Chinese language competition under the theme of "Dreams enlighten the future" was organized by the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) and the Islamabad Confucius Institute, while it was sponsored by the Chinese embassy in Pakistan.

Six students participated in the final competition held at the NUML in Islamabad.

According to the organizers of the event, the finalists were selected from more than 1,000 students from different institutions across Pakistan.

The final contestants, including four boys and two girls, delivered their fluent Chinese and displayed their diverse talents before five judges and applauding audience.

The competition was divided in three categories; speech on the theme "Dreams enlighten the future," question and answer session, and Chinese art performance.

Tayyab Danial Aslam, who comes from Pakistan's eastern city of Sialkot, won the top prize, a laptop, by scoring 96.6 marks out of 100 total marks.

Aslam, 19, told Xinhua that he is very happy and is looking forward to performing equally well in the global contest in China and bringing more knowledge back to home.

The winner will represent Pakistan in the global final of the "Chinese Bridge" to be held in China later this year, and four runner-ups will also go to China as observers, while sixth position holder will be invited as a guest at the Chinese embassy in Islamabad.

Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said, "Language is the most important bridge that links the hearts of our two people. We are very happy that more and more Pakistani students are keen and interested, and devote themselves to Chinese language studies in Pakistan."

Appreciating students for learning Chinese language, Sun said, "Language is not the ultimate target for all of us, language is only a tool. By using this tool, you can make own contribution to further promoting China-Pakistan friendship."

Head of the NUML Zia Uddin Najam said, "It's the language and culture which develop understandings between two peoples, and bring us to respect people and a country. I give all credit to Confucius Institute for cooperating with Pakistani institutes for bringing China and Pakistan close through language and culture."

The "Chinese Bridge" competition, a Chinese language contest for non-native Chinese-speaking college students, is underway around the world.

Launched in 2002, the "Chinese Bridge" competition plays an ever-growing role in promoting the study of Chinese language and the understanding of Chinese culture among young people across the world. Endit