Foreigners compete to study in China

Speakers: Wu Manling, Sam Duckett and Lu Sirui

[Photo: thinkstockphotos.com]

Foreigners began competing in the "Chinese Bridge" language proficiency competition for middle school students in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province on Tuesday.

After qualifying rounds worldwide between March and August, the final rounds in China have attracted 320 teachers and students from 96 countries.

Over the next few days, group and individual participants will compete in quarter-finals, including competitions in spoken Chinese, Chinese culture and art performance, before entering the final round.

Winners will be given scholarships to study in China.

Since 2002, the Beijing-based Confucius Institute Headquarters has organized a series of such competitions.

An increasing number of foreigners are learning Chinese. A total of 516 Confucius Institutes and 1,076 Confucius Classrooms have been established in 142 countries and regions, introducing Chinese language and culture all over the world.

The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.