On Saturday, April 12, the 24th "Chinese Bridge" competition was held at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), bringing together nineteen students from four universities across Washington State: the University of Washington (UW), Western Washington University (WWU), Washington State University (WSU), and PLU.
The competition consisted of three challenging components: a three-minute speech in Chinese, a Q&A session on Chinese language and culture, and a talent performance. Due to the demanding nature of the event, only nine students participated in all three parts — and six of them were from UW.
The students representing UW delivered their speeches entirely from memory, responded quickly and accurately during the Q&A, and truly shone in the talent portion. Their performances were particularly impressive: two students recited famous poems from the Tang and Song dynasties; two others sang popular Chinese songs with fully memorized lyrics; one student translated an English song into Chinese and performed it while playing the guitar; and another wrote a stunning piece of Chinese calligraphy.
All six UW students are enrolled in Prof. Liping Yu (Yu Laoshi)'s CHIN 203 class. They impressed the audience not only with their individual talents, but also as a group — especially considering they have studied Chinese for just under two years. Their dedication and hard work paid off, as UW students proudly earned both the second and third place prizes in this demanding competition.
Congratulations to all who participated in the competition!