The Chinese language has a reputation around the world for being one of the most difficult to master. Complex tones and pictorial characters are enough to make many university students look elsewhere when choosing a second language to learn. However, in recent years, Mandarin (standard Chinese) has become more popular among budding students, who believe conquering the language native to the most populated country in the world is a ticket to a successful career. 

On August 3, students from all over the world took part in the final of the 13th Chinese Bridge - Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province. The Chinese Bridge (Hanyu Qiao) is an annual event organized by the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban).

Since its launch in 2002, more than 800 students from over 80 countries have participated in this annual competition, broadcast from Hunan TV. It is a platform for university students around the world to showcase their talents in Chinese arts and their competency in the Chinese language.

This year's competition officially started in early July with 126 competitors from 87 countries arriving in China to complete a series of preliminary screenings that included Chinese language ability, history knowledge and talent shows. Candidates also traveled to Xi'an, the site of the burial chamber of China's first emperor and the terracotta warriors, the famous porcelain capital Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province, and Anhua in Hunan Province to learn about tea culture. 

The power of language

The competition arouses the interest of more and more university students each year. One of the main reasons why students are so eager to progress through the national preliminary rounds is to have the chance to come and explore China and learn about its people and culture.

"The competition has been really tiring, but I've made so many friends, my Chinese has improved, and I've got to try lots of different foods and meet a lot of people," said Rebecca Morrison, who studies Chinese and law in Brisbane, Australia. "After I finish university in Australia, I want to come back to China to study international relations."

The eventual winner of this year's competition, Monica Cunha da Silva from Brazil, said, "I first came to Kunming in China when I was 13 and was there for a year. I remember once I saw an American on TV speaking fluent Chinese, and I wanted to be able to do the same. I tried for the competition before, and this time I've been lucky. There is a saying that 10 seconds on stage can take 10 years of work. The competition has been hard work, but I've made so many friends here." 

A sense of pride

Among the five finalists who performed in front of the three celebrity judges was 18-year-old Zimbabwean Anesu Mhembere. He was present at the finals last year acting as back-up for a fellow countryman and found the whole experience as a participant this year life-changing and memorable.

"The performance and dancing have been the best parts of the trip. I love to dance and being able to perform the dance of my home country makes me really happy," he told ChinAfrica.

Mhembere hopes to use his Chinese skills and experience from the competition as a catalyst for a future in China. "My dream is to become a bridge between Zimbabwe and China in terms of language and translation. That's why I want to come to China and study international relations," said Mhembere. 

One of the highlights of the evening was the return of Ratsizakaina Isaia Herimialy, who was a first-prize winner in the 11th Chinese Bridge. At the competition she was given a scholarship, and now studies at Beijing Language and Culture University. "Chinese Bridge changed my life," she said.

She owes a lot to her former Chinese teacher surnamed Huang, who, she claims, was her inspiration to join the competition. "I was studying Chinese in Madagascar, and my teacher from the Confucius Institute encouraged me to enter the competition, but then he went back to China and I really regret never being able to thank him."

"Not only is he a Chinese teacher, he's also a life teacher," Isaia told ChinAfrica.

In an emotional reunion, she was surprised by Huang on the stage. "There are many volunteers from the Confucius Institute, working quietly to promote Chinese all over the world. I want to thank the Confucius Institute for allowing so many students to learn Chinese. I loved my work promoting Chinese in Madagascar and I hope I can go back there for a visit," said Huang.

Herimialy's performance attracted the interest of Malagasy media. Mainstream newspapers including Tribune, Gazetiko, Les Nouvelles and TVM provided tracking reports on her advance in the competition.

She was the first competitor from Madagascar to take part in the Chinese Bridge and the first African to win top prize in the competition, and winning first prize made her an instant celebrity back home. "I went from being a normal person to a superstar. I liked it at first, but then I thought it was too much. I had people asking me every day to do translating work," she said. 

Bridging the gap

The competition was the brainchild of Xu Jialu, former Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, who proposed the idea in 1999. Speaking at the final, Xu said, "There is a Bible story that says that God created different languages for the city of Babel, and then people in different areas were unable to communicate with each other. Chinese Bridge is connecting people of different cultures, allowing communication between different peoples, languages and cultures."

"The competition is in its 13th year," he continued, "And it has exceeded my expectations. The level of the candidates has increased, and the level of the judges' comments has increased and so has the determination of the participants… I hope that in the future the content of the competition will be even more profound, and that it will integrate Chinese culture and the cultures of the countries that the students come from."

As the Chinese Bridge demonstrates, Chinese is a language which can be learnt, and learnt well. Whether it's bridging a gap between two countries, becoming more embroiled in a foreign culture or to allow for better job prospects, China is becoming the second language destination of university students today.