The 21st "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Irish College Students was held here at the Confucius Institute of University College Dublin (UCD) in the Irish capital on Sunday.
This is the first competition of its kind ever held offline in Ireland since the COVID-19 pandemic, said organizers.
A total of 19 college students from Dublin, Cork and other parts of Ireland took part in the one-day competition which was held inside the auditorium of the teaching building of the UCD Confucius Institute.
Due to public health concerns, a limited number of audiences including family members and teachers of the contestants were invited to the event.
The competition, which is open to all college students in Ireland except Chinese nationals or those whose parents speak Chinese, comprised two rounds of matches, a preliminary one in the morning session and a final one in the afternoon.
In the final competition, eight contestants, selected by a five-member jury, were each given a two-minute time for a speech in Chinese centering on the theme of "One World One Family" followed by questions and answers.
They were also given a five-minute time to demonstrate their Chinese cultural skills such as singing Chinese songs or performing martial arts or preparing Chinese tea.
Anna Roth, a 22-year-old student of foreign applied languages from University College Cork, beat all her competitors to become the first prize winner of the competition. She will represent Ireland in competing with college students from other parts of the world in China later this year.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
