Participants dazzle with proficiency in Chinese speech contest in Nigeria

Participants at a Chinese speech contest in Abuja on Tuesday held the audience spellbound as they displayed their proficiency in the language.

The event, which had Nigerian government officials in attendance, was part of this year's graduation ceremony held for Chinese language students by the China Cultural Center in Nigeria's capital city.

The competition was open to all graduands, including participants of other nationalities who took part in the training at the China Cultural Center. Six winners from two categories emerged after the speech contest.

Other side attractions, all rendered in Chinese language, including drama and music performances

spiced up the event.

In his opening remark, Yan Xiangdong, Chinese cultural counselor to Nigeria who was also director of the center, commended the graduands for respectively taking various levels of Chinese language training to determine their proficiency.

"I must say here that your decision to learn and acquire Chinese language is not only timely but also a step in the right direction toward attaining global heights just as the Chinese economy has attained global recognition," he said, urging the graduating students to continue to develop on the various levels attained.

In an interview, You Baoming, a deputy director at the center, told Xinhua the Chinese speech contest was first introduced last year not to identify the best among the participants but rather targeted at identifying areas where the graduating students will need to pay more attention in the language training. Endit