Education Today Education Today Magazine
Ten talented students from four UK schools are preparing for the trip of a lifetime to China after winning the final of the HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition – which was held at the British Museum on Monday 9 February.
As part of their prize, the winners will walk along China’s Great Wall, explore Beijing’s Forbidden City, and enjoy cultural activities with Chinese students at local schools.
Now in its twelfth year, the national competition aims to encourage greater interest in Chinese language and culture – vital to the UK’s future prosperity. Chinese is already spoken by more than a billion people worldwide, with China recognised as the world’s second biggest economy.
The students competed in either the Individual Language Ability or Group Performance section. In the Individual section, contestants gave a short presentation in Mandarin, translated sentences from English into Mandarin and were tested on their knowledge of China and Chinese culture. In the Group Performance section, groups of between four and six students performed a piece of drama in Chinese – involving imaginative performances and costumes. The judging panel was made up of native and non-native speakers of Mandarin, from a variety of backgrounds.
The 2015 winners are:
Individual (Beginner): Clem Marshall, Alexandra Park School
Individual (Intermediate): George Hunter, Ponteland High School
Individual (Advanced): Anthony Cullen, Ibstock Place School
Group Performance: Oundle School
Vicky Gough, Schools Adviser at the British Council said: “With more than one billion Mandarin Chinese speakers in the world, it is vital that more of our young people learn this valuable language in order to give them the advantage they need to live in a global society and compete in a global economy.
“The judges were extremely impressed with the high standards in this years’ competition and by the wealth of talent and creativity on show. We hope the winners enjoy their time in China and use it as a stepping stone to learn more about Chinese language and culture.”
Lorraine Thomas, Senior Manager Global Education and UK Community Investment at HSBC said: “It was terrific watching young people share their learning of Mandarin Chinese through acting and speaking. The skills that they have learned are truly inspiring. Learning the language has given them a key global skill which will help businesses thrive, and we hope the competition will continue to inspire future generations to get involved.”
The British Council and HSBC have joined forces to run the competition since 2003. The national competition is aimed at students who are non-native speakers, who have started learning Mandarin Chinese recently. To date, over 2,500 young people have entered the Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition and it has helped inspire hundreds of young people to further their language studies – some going on to graduate in Mandarin Chinese.
To help children across the UK celebrate Chinese New Year and learn more about Chinese language and culture, the British Council and HSBC have also just launched the ‘Year of the Sheep Primary Education Pack’ which has been sent to every primary school in the country. It is available online here: www.britishcouncil.org/schoolsonline
