Chinese Ambassador to Ireland Zhao Xiyuan Attends the 25th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Irish College Students

On April 19, Ambassador Zhao Xiyuan and his spouse Ms. Li Yi attended the Ireland final of the 25th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students. Sixteen contestants from universities across Ireland took part in the competition. Nearly one hundred guests, including Vice President Ms. Aoife Ahern of University College Dublin and family members and friends of the contestants, were present to watch the event.

Ambassador Zhao presented awards to the winners and delivered remarks. He noted that the successful visit to China by Taoiseach Micheál Martin earlier this year had injected new momentum into the mutually beneficial strategic partnership between the two countries. He emphasized that language serves as an important bridge connecting peoples, and that this year marks the 80th anniversary of Chinese being established as an official language of the United Nations. He expressed the hope that young people would contribute to enhancing cross-cultural understanding and fostering friendship and cooperation.

During the competition, contestants shared their understanding of the theme "One World, One Family" from multiple perspectives. Through performances such as Chinese dance, poetry recitation, guitar singing, and storytelling, they demonstrated their enthusiasm for Chinese language and culture. After keen competition, Martha Leone from the Technological University of the Shannon won first prize.