North Island

WELLINGTON, May 18 ( tasteallchina ) -- University and secondary school students from the southern region of New Zealand's North Island competed for Chinese proficiency in the annual "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition held on Saturday. Around 100 local Chinese learners watched the competition among 18 contestants, learning Chinese as their foreign language, vying for spots for the global finals to be held later in China. The competition consisted of theme speech, talent show and improvisation quiz. The contestants talked about their relationship with the Chinese language, demonstrating their language proficiency and knowledge of Chinese culture. During the talent show, contestants performed Chinese stand-up comedy, recitation of ancient poems, Chinese folk dance, musical instruments, among others. Rodda Lachlan from Rotorua won the high school category, and Phoebe Davey from the Victoria University of Wellington won the university category. Both of them grabbed the opportunity to the global finals in China. At the prize-giving ceremony, Tang Yun, education counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, encouraged the students to continue to explore the beauty of the Chinese language, gain a deeper understanding of the Chinese culture and build a bridge of friendship between China and New Zealand. Students should cultivate…