23rd “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Irish College Students Successfully Held
The Final of the 23rd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Irish College Students was held at the UCD Confucius Institute on April 21, 2024. Hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Ireland (Education Section) and organized by the UCD Confucius Institute, the event attracted distinguished guests including Chinese Ambassador to Ireland H.E. HE Xiangdong, Vice President for Global Engagement at UCD Prof. Dolores O'Riordan, Head of Education Affairs of the Chinese Embassy to Ireland Ms. ZHU Xikun, Chinese Director of Confucius Institute at University College Cork Mr Huang Junyi, Chinese Director of Confucius Institute of Chinese and Regenerative Medicine at University of Galway, Mr Ren Li and many other audience members.
This year's competition featured 18 contestants from universities across Ireland. After the preliminary round in the morning, eight contestants advanced to the final round where they delivered speeches in Chinese on the theme of "One World, One Family" and answered questions from the judges. The contestants elaborated their understanding and vision of world peace and cultural exchange from various perspectives. Some quoted a famous Chinese saying, "Though oceans apart, kindred spirits stay close as neighbors"; some shared their personal experiences, narrating heartwarming stories of friendship and love that embody the spirit of "One World, One Family"; some discussed the importance of "One World, One Family" from the perspective of war and peace.
In the following talent show session, there was a dazzling array of performances including Chinese modern dance, traditional musical instrument performances, stand-up comedy, and renditions of Chinese songs, showcasing the contestants' understanding and love of Chinese culture.
While awaiting the results of the competition, the host engaged the audience in a fun quiz covering topics such as Chinese family, festivals, entertainment, and cities, deepening the audience's understanding of the Chinese language and traditional culture.
After a day of intense competition, Emilia Hamulewicz from UCD won the championship, with Darcey Brennan from UCD and Giana Nuncio from TUD awarded the second prize, and Rory Cheevers from UCD, Karyna Mizerkevych from NUI Galway, and Stephaine Mendes Pereira from UCD winning the third prize. Finn McGrath from TCD and Olufunke Grace Odunlami from UCD received the Most Promising Prize.
In her speech, Vice President Dolores O'Riordan congratulated the winners and emphasized the importance of Chinese language learning as a bridge not only between Chinese learners and Chinese people, but also between Ireland and China, and between the two different cultures.
During his speech, Ambassador H.E. HE Xiangdong expressed that he was deeply impressed by the performance of the contestants this year, which not only showcased their personal talents, but also demonstrated the fond friendship between the people of China and Ireland. He also conveyed his hope that the competition would play a better role to promote mutual understanding and communication between the two countries.
第二十三届世界大学生“汉语桥比赛”爱尔兰赛区决赛于都柏林大学孔子学院成功举办
2024年4月21日，由中国驻爱尔兰大使馆教育组主办，都柏林大学孔子学院及都柏林大学中国研究院联合承办的第二十三届世界大学生“汉语桥比赛”爱尔兰赛区决赛在都柏林大学孔子学院成功举办。
中国驻爱尔兰大使何向东，都柏林大学副校长Dolores O’Riordan，使馆教育组负责人朱喜坤，高威大学孔子学院中方院长李刃，科克大学孔子学院中方院长黄俊逸，都柏林大学孔子学院外方院长王黎明、中方院长谢江南等出席了比赛。来自科克大学、高威大学、都柏林圣三一大学、都柏林理工大学和都柏林大学的共18名选手参加了比赛。来自高威大学、科克大学、都柏林理工大学、东南科技大学和都柏林大学的5名汉语专业教师承担了本次比赛的评委工作。比赛由都柏林大学中国研究院的李晓东老师主持，近百名学生和参赛选手的朋友及家人观看了当天的比赛。
经过上午初赛环节的角逐，8名选手进入决赛，就“天下一家”这一主题进行中文演讲，并回答评委的提问。选手们从不同角度阐述了自己对于世界和平、文明互鉴的理解和愿景。有的借用中国名句，认为“海内存知己，天涯若比邻”；有的以自身经历，分享自己的友谊爱情，讲述了一个天下一家的小故事；有的放眼全球，从战争与和平的角度，阐述了“天下一家”的重要性。
在才艺展示阶段，中国现代舞蹈表演、传统乐器表演、脱口秀、和中文歌曲的演绎精彩纷呈，展现了选手们对于中国文化的理解和热爱。
在等待比赛结果时，主持人与现场观众进行了趣味知识问答互动，内容涵盖中国家庭、节日、娱乐、城市等语言和文化元素的问题，加深了观众对中国语言和传统文化的了解。
经过一天激烈的角逐，来自都柏林大学的Emilia Hamulewicz（韩丽雅）获得了本次比赛的冠军。都柏林大学的Darcey Brennan（汪黛西）和都柏林理工大学的Giana Nuncio获得了第二名。都柏林大学的Rory Cheevers（罗成），高威大学的Karyna Mizerkevych（林穆），都柏林大学的Stephaine Mendes Pereira（苏妮）分别获得了第三名。都柏林圣三一大学的Finn McGrath（马敬亭）和都柏林大学的Olufunke Grace Odunlami（嘉希）获得了最具潜力奖。出席比赛的嘉宾分别为荣获一等奖、二等奖、三等奖和最佳潜力奖的选手颁奖。
在致辞环节，都柏林大学副校长Dolores O’Riordan向获奖选手表示祝贺。她提到汉语不仅是汉语学习者与中国人之间沟通的桥梁，更是连接爱尔兰与中国、不同文化与中国文化之间的纽带和桥梁。
中国驻爱尔兰大使何向东阁下在致辞时表示，今天选手们的表现让他感到惊喜和震撼。他表示，选手们不仅展示了自己的个人才华，更是展现了中爱两国人民之间的友好情谊和文化交流的深厚基础。