November 06, 2023
Andrew Fowler wins the Third Prize in the 22nd International “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition
Andrew Fowler, a fourth year World Languages and Computer Science and Mathematics double major at Lewis & Clark, won the Third Prize in the 22nd “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, held in Nanning, Guangxi, on September 2.
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Andrew Fowler, a fourth year World Languages and Computer Science and Mathematics double major at Lewis & Clark, won the Third Prize in the 22nd “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, held in Nanning, Guangxi, on September 2. This year’s competition was its first offline gathering in China after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 150 college students from 124 countries were chosen to participate from an initial pool of over 55,000 contestants globally. Participants from Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania converged to compete for the global championship, in which they were tested on their understanding of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as their knowledge of Chinese culture, history, geography, and literature for a nationally televised production.
Additionally, before the competition, a three-week-long summer camp for contestants was held in the picturesque cities of Baise and Guilin in Guangxi, as well as in Beijing. “This year’s competition has offered a valuable global stage for young people to immerse themselves in Chinese language and culture, spotlighting the unique essence of ‘Chinese Bridge’ as a cultural conduit, a source of friendship, and a beacon of love,” said Liu Ning, the Party Chief of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Having never been to China, but having deeply enjoyed his studies in Chinese language and culture, Chinese Bridge was an invaluable opportunity to both deepen his understanding of China and build bridges between different cultures.
Andrew, or Fang Long as he goes by in Chinese, would like to express his gratitude to the Lewis & Clark Chinese faculty, in particular Dr. Liu Meiru, without whose support and guidance he could never have known about or succeeded in the competition. He plans to share his experiences in China with the Lewis & Clark community through a presentation and a detailed article.
