Visiting foreign Mandarin learners get a taste of China

Fifteen-year-old Thin Kyu Hlaing from Myanmar said she liked the Bai people's traditional clothing and their special peacock dance. She was inspired to learn Mandarin after developing an interest in Chinese soap operas. Like Phansankor, she was also impressed by the Dounan market. "There are fresh flowers, dried flowers and flower cakes at the market. I want to open a flower store here," she said.

Telesia Ruth Solomon Tanoai, a 16-year-old from New Zealand, said she is pleased that China is strongly engaged in protecting its animals and environment. "I found that everyone in this country pays great attention to environmental protection," she said. "The biodiversity here is extremely rich, and this has left a deep impression on me."

Themed "Fly High with Chinese", the competition for secondary school students and the 3rd Chinese Bridge Chinese Show for Foreign Primary School Students together give teenagers and young children from around the world a platform to share their knowledge of Chinese and promote people-to-people exchanges. Both competitions are organized by the Ministry of Education's Center for Language Education and Cooperation.

As this year also marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of China's Belt and Road Initiative, the competitions also help the contestants learn more about China's modernization, environment, rural life and ethnic cultures, organizers said.