UG Student Wins Grand Prize at the 21st Chinese Bridge Qualifying Competition in Ghana

A group photo featuring Directors, teachers, and UG contestants of the Chinese Bridge Contest 

At the 21st Chinese Bridge Qualifying Competition held online at the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana, on May 28, 2022, a final year student of the Chinese Section of the Department of Modern Languages, Samuel Ohemeng, won the Grand Prize of the competition. Coming up as the overall best candidate and winner of the Grand Prize gives him the opportunity to contest with many other brilliant students from all over the world in the Global Chinese Bridge contest organized in China which takes place later in the year.

The First Prize, which is the second top position was also won by a student of the University of Ghana, Richmond Ayawuli.

(L-R) Samuel Ohemeng and Richmond Ayawuli

The Chinese Bridge Competition is a Chinese Proficiency Competition held annually for non-Chinese university students who study the Chinese Language. It is a large-scale international contest now sponsored by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Education Ministry of China, and it is well known in cultural and educational exchanges worldwide. It also aims at arousing the enthusiasm of students in various countries in learning Chinese and strengthening the world’s understanding of the Chinese language and culture. Consistently, the two top prizes have been won by students of the University of Ghana.

This year’s competition was the ninth one organised by the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana in collaboration with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Ghana. The competition was made up of three sessions; a written test, speech delivery aa well as answering of questions from the judges.

Other contestants in the competition were students from University of Cape Coast (UCC) and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

The contest commenced with a welcome address by the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana, Prof. Chu Beijuan. The occasion was graced by Mr. Zhu Jing, Political Counsellor and Deputy Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of China in Accra, and the Registrar of the University of Ghana, Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah.

In brief remarks, Mr. Zhu Jing indicated that the Chinese Government has not relented in its support for Ghana. Similarly, the Embassy is making every effort to support more Ghanaian students to acquire scholarships in China for further studies. He stated that Ghana is the second country with over ten thousand students studying in China.

In her remarks, the Registrar, Mrs. Agyei-Mensahstated that “Over the years the competition has functioned as a bridge to several students for the realisation of their Chinese dream”. She commended the Chinese Embassy and the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana for keeping the competition alive, in spite of the COVID-19Pandemic.

The President of the Chamber of Commerce for Chinese Enterprises in Ghana, Mr. Liu Yang, announced that the competition aids the Chinese enterprises in Ghana to discover more local talents.

Other dignitaries present were leaders of renowned ChineseEnterprises in Ghana, who also acted as judges for the competition.  They were Mr.Tang Hong, President of Ghana Association of ChineseSocieties & Ghana Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. JinZhengyi, General Manager of Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited, Mr.Kang Biao, General Secretary of Chinese Enterprises Chamber of Commerce in Ghana, Mr. Zhao Zhikui, General Manager of Power China International Group Limited. Also present at the programme were the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute at UCC, the Coordinator of Chinese at the University of Ghana as well as Chinese teachers from the three universities and a large online audience.

The programme was spiced with a Chinese cultural performance.

The curtain was drawn with closing remarks by the Ghanaian Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana, Prof. Josephine Dzahene-Quarshie.