Mandarin Speech Competition Promotes Indonesia-China Cultural Exchange

More than 80 students from primary school to university level across Indonesia participated in this year’s Indonesian division final of the Chinese Bridge competition, held in Jakarta from 12 to 14 June. Beyond testing Mandarin speech proficiency, the competition served as a platform for cultural exchange between the two countries, with participants performing a variety of Chinese arts and cultural displays. China’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Wang Lutong, stated that educational and cultural cooperation between the two nations has yielded numerous proud achievements. He noted that Indonesian interest in learning Mandarin continues to rise, evidenced by Indonesia becoming the fifth-largest country globally for the number of HSK Mandarin proficiency test registrants last year, surpassing 30,000 people. “I hope all participants will use the Chinese Bridge competition as a starting point to continue nurturing their love for the Mandarin language and maintain sincerity in understanding culture. Let language be a bridge and culture a connecting medium to continue voicing the friendship between China and Indonesia, and to write a new chapter in people-to-people exchange and cooperation between the two countries,” he said during the ceremony in Jakarta on Sunday, 14 June. Meanwhile, Arifin Zain, Chairman of the Jakarta Mandarin Education Coordination Board and representative of the organisers, said that Chinese Bridge also provides an opportunity for Indonesia’s young generation to broaden their international perspective and build a strong foundation for future career development. This aligns with the strategic cooperation between the two countries in various fields, which has encouraged more Chinese companies and institutions to recruit Indonesian workers. They seek not only human resources capable of speaking Mandarin but also those with a good understanding of Chinese culture. The competition has been held routinely every year for more than two decades, with this year’s participants reaching nearly 200 students from various regions in Indonesia. However, only 84 of them advanced to the final round across three categories: primary school, secondary school, and university. The main winner from each category will represent Indonesia in the international-level Chinese Bridge final to be held in China this year. The main winner for the university category was Hezel, a final-year student at the STBA-PIA foreign language college in Medan, North Sumatra. The 22-year-old delivered a speech about the spirit of kinship between the two countries without boundaries of language differences and geographical distance, and performed a traditional dance telling the story of a fox. “I have never been to China before, so I am certainly very enthusiastic because this will be my first experience going to China, but also a little nervous because I will be carrying Indonesia’s name,” Hezel said. During this year’s national selection, participants from various educational levels showcased a range of traditional Chinese arts, from dancing and singing to storytelling accompanied by musical instruments, martial arts, and traditional Diabolo performances.