Leeds students impress at international competition
Two students from the University have won second prizes at the 15th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students.
Giovanni Battista Baffetti (l) and Yumeka Nosaka.
The contest has three components - a short speech, a demonstration of Chinese language proficiency and knowledge of China, and a three-minute artistic performance.
Giovanni Battista Baffetti (MSc International Business), and Yumeka Nosaka (East Asian Studies exchange student) received second place for their engaging performances.
Giovanni Battista Baffetti gave an introductory speech about himself and his aspirations. Giovanni then answered questions about Chinese Language, Chinese Culture and current affairs. To finish the performance, he gave a humorous version of the Italian folk song "Bella Ciao", modifying the lyrics to suit his performance.
Speaking about his Chinese Bridge experience, Giovanni said: “I would define it as one of the most exciting, enriching and challenging experiences I have had in my life and one I'll never forget. It has enabled me to familiarise myself with the Chinese community here at Leeds, meet new friends, expand my network in the UK and create new opportunities for my future!”
Yumeka Nosaka's certificate.
Yumeka Nosaka, who also won the Most Eloquent Prize, talked about her experience in China as a Japanese citizen and performed a short part of a famous Chinese drama called "Yuan ye" (The Wilderness).
Yumeka said: "The eight weeks of preparation for this competition was the most difficult time of my exchange year in Leeds. However, my teachers helped me a lot and I just can't stop saying "thank you" to them for their incredible support. My Chinese has definitely improved (I hope), and right now I'm really motivated to study Chinese in China. I really won't forget about this precious time in Leeds."
The students were jointly trained by Dr Ning Yi (East Asian Studies) and Ms Zhou Bei, Ms Liang Weicong, Ms Meng Jianan, Ms Wang Yu and Ms Chen Kexuan (all Business Confucius Institute).
As winners of the British regional final, they will go to China this summer to represent the UK in the semi-final and the finals of the Chinese Bridge world-wide competition.
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