Friday, 20 June 2008

Nine high school students from around Australia won't be spending this Saturday playing sport, going to the movies or hanging out with their mates - they'll be building a bridge to China from The University of Western Australia.

The bridge will be a cultural one and the best three ‘builders' will win a trip to Chongqing in China in July to take part in the finals of an international cultural and language competition.

Three of the students are from the ACT, two from Queensland, and four from WA.  The West Australian students attend Mt Lawley Senior High School and Murdoch College.  Chinese nationals are not allowed to be contestants.  None of the students' parents speak Chinese.

The national finals of the Chinese Bridge Competition, involve three tests:

  • a quiz, in English, testing general knowledge of China
  • a three-minute speech in Chinese on any topic
  • a cultural performance - such as singing, dancing, calligraphy, painting and martial arts - of no more than five minutes

UWA's Confucius Institute was chosen by the Chinese Government to host the finals because it was the first Confucius Institute in Australia.

Media are invited to witness the cultural performances at 2.45pm, on Saturday June 21, at UWA's Hew Roberts Lecture Theatre in the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts.

Media references

Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716

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