On 6-7 June 2021, the South African final of the 20th CHINESE BRIDGE Chinese Proficiency Competition for College Students was successfully held. Three contestants from the Confucius Institute at Stellenbosch University took part in the competition. Elke Swart won the third prize and Carla Gaskin and Wisdom Peru won the Excellent Award.
They each demonstrated their Chinese ability and artistic talent very well and achieved good results with limited preparation time. The students worked very hard and challenged themselves by stepping out of their comfort zones. They gained great experience and in-depth thinking as a result.
All three participants said that their experience of the competition was very well memorable and will stay with them for years to come and that they would like to participate again if given the opportunity. In addition, the students shared that enjoying the different and exciting performances of the other competitors was the best part of the competition. This is in line with the mission of the Chinese Bridge competition - the Chinese Bridge is a grand event for humanistic exchanges between Chinese and foreign youths and a "bridge of culture, friendship and heart" that connects the world.