Kyushu U student places second at the First All Japan College Student Chinese Speech Contest

Two Kyushu University students were among the many college students from around Japan gathered at J. F. Oberlin University, Shinjuku Campus, in Tokyo on June 22, 2019, for the First All Japan College Student Chinese Speech Contest, with a chance to go to the world finals of the 18th Chinese Bridge on the line.

Mr. Keiya Yamanishi, a second-year student of the School of Letters, placed second for his speech presented in a clear and confident voice. Making this feat all the more impressive is that he has only studied Chinese for one year and two months.

In addition to presenting a speech earlier in the event, Ms. Atsumi Kimura, a first-year student of the Graduate School of Humanities, also participated in the cultural knowledge quiz and enchanted the audience with her clarinet performance of “Liangxiao,” a famous song for the traditional Chinese two-stringed instrument called the erhu.

Although neither of the students placed high enough in the overall standings to qualify for the 18th Chinese Bridge, a Chinese proficiency competition for foreign college students for which this contest served as the Japan qualifier, to be held in Beijing in August, they were thrilled to gain invaluable experience competing with students from all over the country and learning from each other.

The contest was hosted by the Society of Chinese Professors in Japan, co-sponsored by Confucius Institute Headquarters, and supported by Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Japan and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

Building off this experience, Kimura and Yamanishi are excited to continue advancing their Chinese fluency and have their sights set on improving their performance next year.

Reference: Kyushu University students take the top two places the southern regional of the 2019 Japan Chinese Speech Contest（http://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/ja/topics/view/1497）