On the occasion of the “World Reading Day” on April 23, the semifinal of the2018 Jilin • International Chinese Reading Contest,hosted by the People’s Association of Jilin Province for Friendship with Foreign Countries, was launched in the Northeast Asia Bookstore in Changchun. In the contest, Chinese language enthusiasts from all over the world spread Chinese voices and told Chinese stories to the world. Three international students from our school eventually advanced to the national finals.

On April 12th, the preliminary round of the contest was launched with online auditions. More than 1,000 Chinese language enthusiasts from more than 30 provinces and cities nationwide signed up. After the initial auditions, the semifinals were held in the six divisions: Northeast China, North China, Northwest China, Southwest China, East China and Central South China. Under the guidance of Chinese teacher Hu Yujuan, the four international students, Bailov Vladislav and Vilkov Arsenii from Russia, Dina Oktavia from Indonesia and Nguyen Thi Huong from Vietnam, successfully passed the auditions in Heilongjiang province and gained access to the semifinals of the Northeast Division.

On the April 23, the semifinal of the Northeast China Division was held in Northeast Asia Bookstore. 27 participants from 11 countries including Indonesia, Russia, South Korea, Mongolia, Laos, and China gathered together in Changchun. The four poems,The Beauty of the Song,Transient Days,The Farthest Distance in the World, andFacing the Sea with Spring Blossomsread by the four contestants left a deep impression on the judges and received good comments. After a fierce competition, Bailov Vladislav, Dina Oktavia and Nguyen Thi Huong finally advanced to the national finals.

The outstanding performance of the two Russian students had also been highly appreciated by the Russian Consul General in the Consulate General of Shenyang and they were received by the Consul General after the semifinal.

Chinese language teaching is an important component of international student education and an effective vehicle for spreading the Chinese voice and Chinese values and showing Chinese power to the world. The excellent performance of the four contestants is also an affirmation of international student education in NEFU. Taking the contest as an opportunity, NEFU will once again set off a trend of Chinese learning in the international student community. Through a variety of Chinese language and cultural exchange activities, we will further promote the education for international students.

We are looking forward to the extraordinary performance of the three contestants in the national finals.