One of the contestants participates in a Huangmei Opera talent show. [Photo by Liu Hongjie/chinadaily.com.cn]

Kimani is in her third year of university now. She plans to go to China to study Chinese further at Tianjin Normal University after graduation. "I am not going to stop learning Chinese … I am going to grasp it better," she said.

As exchanges between Kenya and China become more and more frequent, Kimani said she hopes to serve as a bridge between the two countries.

The competition was presented by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) and the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, organized by the Confucius Institute of the University of Nairobi and sponsored and supported by China Road and Bridge Corporation Kenya and China Telecom Global Limited.

As the chairman of the jury, Counselor Yao Ming from the Chinese Embassy said after the contest that the contestants' excellent performance showed that they are "not only language learners but also Chinese culture lovers". He said he hopes that more and more students find the charm of the Chinese language and fall in love with China.

In his speech, Deputy Vice Chancellor Henry Mutoro of the University of Nairobi encouraged Kenyan students to get to know China through learning the Chinese language. He also thanked the Chinese side for helping and supporting his university and students.

Since 2002 when it started, the annual Chinese Bridge--Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students has become world's greatest event for Chinese learners So far, nearly 600,000 college students from 110 countries have participated in the competition and more than 2,300 elite competitors have come to China to attend the semi-finals and finals.