Final of 13th 'Chinese Bridge' Competition held at University of Latvia

The final of the 13th "Chinese Bridge" Competition for adults and college students in Latvia was held at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Latvia Friday.

The event, sponsored by the Chinese Embassy in Riga and hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of Latvia, was jointly organized by the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Latvia, the Confucius Institute at Stradins University, Vidzeme University, Riga Technical University, Transport and Telecommunication Institute, Rezekne University and Daugavpils University, and supported by the "Chinese Bridge" foundation.

Chinese Ambassador to Latvia Huang Yong noted the significance of the "Chinese Bridge" proficiency competition for students mastering Chinese and voiced appreciation for the support provided by the Latvian government, as well as the dedicated teachers of Chinese.

The ambassador also emphasized that the competition's theme, "Chinese Dream", expresses the dream of Chinese revival, and wished the best for the friendly China-Latvia relations.

Janis Ikstens, the University of Latvia vice-rector and chairman of the Confucius Institute at the University of Latvia, said that "Chinese Bridge" Competition provided a good platform for the students who learned Chinese in Latvia and also played an important role in promoting cultural exchange between China and Latvia.

Astrida Gobina from the University of Latvia emerged as the winner of the tough competition in the advanced level of the adult and college student category.

Viktorija Vintere and Tatjana Andrejeva, also from the University of Latvia, won first place in the intermediate and primary levels respectively.

The champion in the advanced level will travel to China to represent Latvia at the 15th "Chinese Bridge" Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students. All three prize-winners will be recommended for 2016/2017 Chinese Government Scholarship.

As the Chinese-teaching center in the Baltic Sea region, Latvia has been working consistently to advance and support the teaching of Chinese language.