Interview: Chileans in Chinese-language contests increasingly adept

International Chinese-language contests are drawing increasingly adept participants from Chile, according to an educational professional.

"Each year we are surprised by the quality of the Chilean students who participate in the international Chinese Bridge contests," Lilian Espinosa, executive director of the Confucius Institute at Santo Tomas University, told Xinhua on Saturday.

Rated on their language skills and general knowledge of China, including an oral exam and talent show, the winners of the national contests go on to compete in the finals, to be held in Beijing in July.

On Friday, Chilean students Eduardo Ovando and Jose Alvarez won at the university and secondary school levels, respectively, beating out more than 30 university and secondary school students in the country.

Ovando and Alvarez, along with four student observers, will travel to Beijing for the annual Chinese Bridge event.

"When we organized the first Chinese Bridge, most of the participants read their speeches to the panel of judges. But today it would be unthinkable for a contestant to have to read his speech, and the same thing has happened with the talent shows, which have gotten better," said Espinosa.

Reciting a Chinese poem or singing a Chinese song was once the staple performance of the talent portion of the contests.

"However, students now dare to do new and innovative things, such as Shadow Puppet Theater, which we saw for the first time this year as part of a Chinese Bridge presentation," said Espinosa.

The staid arts of calligraphy and paper cuts have also given way to bolder presentations of pop songs, she said.

This year, Chile's national Chinese-language contests drew 13 college students and 22 secondary school students, reflecting the ever-growing interest in China and its language.

The Chinese Bridge program, sponsored by China's Education Ministry, and organized by the Confucius Institutes throughout the world, has been a big boon to Chinese-language learning.

"China offers us more benefits and options for bringing Chilean students closer to that country's millenary culture," said Espinosa.

What's more, said Espinosa, the Chinese language is gaining importance worldwide as the country grows in prominence on the world stage.

"What was important for our parents in their youth, (it was) the English language, it is the Chinese language for our children today, and that's why we are planting the seeds," she said. Endi