Chinese proficiency competition held in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for Saudi college students wrapped up its final round on Thursday at Prince Sultan University.

Fifteen students from four universities participated in the final round, capping a two-month-long competition that included preliminary and semi-final stages.

In the final round, contestants shared their journeys of learning Chinese and their aspirations to become cultural ambassadors between China and Saudi Arabia.

The students also staged performances related to Chinese culture, including traditional Chinese paper-cutting, Sichuan Opera face-changing, Chinese painting, and calligraphy.

Aryam Al-Zahrani, a junior student majoring in Chinese at King Abdulaziz University, won the championship.

"Chinese culture is beautiful, and learning Chinese has opened a window for me to understand Chinese culture," Al-Zahrani told Xinhua in fluent Chinese, noting that the more she understands Chinese culture, the more she appreciates its charm.

In his speech at the award ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chang Hua mentioned the rapid development of Chinese learning in Saudi Arabia in recent years.

Chang said four Saudi universities are currently offering Chinese language programs, and more primary and secondary schools are providing Chinese elective courses.

"Last June, Saudi Arabia's first Confucius Institute was established at Prince Sultan University, providing a new important platform for educational and cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia," noted the ambassador.

Ahmed Bin Saleh Al-Yamani, president of Prince Sultan University, expressed appreciation for the support from China in promoting Chinese language education at the university and hoped to cultivate more talents to further enhance the friendly relations between Saudi Arabia and China.