A college student from the Republic of Korea won the special award of the 11th Chinese Bridge, Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, on Wednesday evening.
Jio Son, a 25-year-old postgraduate from the Ewha Womans University, got the special award for her excellent performance in this year's Chinese Bridge competition with the theme "My Chinese Dream."
"I was under great psychological pressure before the final as no Asian contestant has ever won the special award," she said, adding that she planned to use the money from the scholarship to study in Beijing.
Isaia Herimialy Ratsizakaina from Madagascar received the award of Best Elegance. And British man Owen Sebastian Churchill won the award for his network popularity.
A total of 117 college students from 70 countries showcased their Chinese language capacities, knowledge of Chinese culture and talents during the competition in Changsha, provincial capital of Hunan.
Chinese Bridge -- Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, sponsored by China's Hanban / Confucius Institute Headquarters, has been held annually since 2002.
The competition has provided a platform for foreign students in the world to exchange their experiences in learning Chinese, and it has helped students find an effective way to learn about Chinese society and culture.
Nearly 150,000 college students from across the world have participated in preliminary, semi-finals and finals competitions in various countries over the past decade.
