Two students from the University of Aberdeen are celebrating their success in an international competition that tests the abilities of Chinese language learners.
Anna Moilanen and Saengpetch ‘Petch’ Ngam-Prukwanit picked up the Most Creative Winner and Most Knowledgeable Winner prizes respectively at the annual Chinese Bridge Competition, which is organised by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban).
The competition tests Chinese language learners in a variety of ways, including language proficiency, knowledge of China and Chinese cultural skills.
Anna, who is from Finland, and Petch, from Thailand, both study Mandarin at the Confucius Institute of the University of Aberdeen.
Anna, who is a Sociology student, described the day as “way beyond my expectations.”
She said: “Being able to meet with other Chinese learners, see their amazing performances and then achieve something myself made it an unforgettable experience.
“Getting to the finals and giving a speech on the stage in Chinese reminded me how far I've come with my Chinese studies in such a short time and how determined I am to be fluent someday. I am now going to Beijing for the whole summer and I plan to study and practice my language skills more than ever.”
Petch, who studies Accounting and Finance, added: “It was an amazing experience. Everything is beyond what I could possibly expect. I always felt I would never be good enough to perform in front of so many people, but the show made me realise that I have much more courage and confidence that I thought.”
Gao Ye, who is a Teaching Fellow at the University and who mentored Anna and Petch in preparation for the competition, said: “I am very proud of my girls, they have worked very hard and their performances at the competition were brilliant! Their success opens a door to many opportunities with their language skills and I wish them both the very best for the future.”
The Director of the Confucius Institute of the University of Aberdeen, Will Tuladhar-Douglas, said that he is “enormously proud” of Anna and Petch, and congratulated them and Ye Gao on their shared success.
“We are thrilled that Anna and Petch made it to the finals of the Chinese Bridge competition and won awards. This is a wonderful opportunity for each of them, and demonstrates the quality of Mandarin teaching available through the University of Aberdeen.”
For more information on learning Mandarin at the University of Aberdeen, visit https://www.abdn.ac.uk/confucius/