GW Sweeps Chinese Bridge Speech Competition

(Photos by Prof. Jianxin Cui, Confucius Institute, UMD)

Tim Quinn (GW Chinese minor) and Caleb Dependahl (GW Chinese major) placed 1st and 2nd respectively in the 10th Annual Chinese Bridge Speech Competition preliminaries, Washington DC site. The competition of the DC site was held at the University of Maryland Confucius Institute, with 12 competitors from seven universities. Competitors were required to perform a formal speech, answer questions testing Chinese language and cultural knowledge, and perform a talent related to Chinese culture. The 1st and 2nd place winners of each region are sent to Beijing to represent the USA competing on the International Chinese Bridge on Chinese national television! Look forward to seeing their performances after this summer!








Dr. Julia Chen is currently a visiting fellow from China. Once a TV program host in Hubei TV Station, China, Dr. Chen used her pro skills to coach the two GW competitors. (Photo by Phyllis Zhang)



比赛前一天,我问崑天和永凯,要是没得奖,你们会失望吗? 他们说,我们不会在意,我们更在意这个学习的过程。我的心一下子放下了。现在，我常常想起的不是他们获奖的瞬间，而是在这间不大的办公室里，我们字斟句酌、反复锤炼的一个个场景……
On the day before the competition, I asked Tim and Caleb, if you guys don’t win will you be upset? They told me that winning didn’t even matter, what matters was the experience and what they had learned during the preparation process. I immediately was able to relax. Now, when I reflect on this experience, I generally don’t think about that award winning moment. Instead, I think of the time spent in that small office, practicing over and over, carefully weighing every word......
-- Julia Chen


Prof. Miaochun Wei had taught Tim before Tim went to the ACC program in China.

This is our third year that GW students have participated in Chinese Bridge Speech Contest, and we have the best performance this year. I have felt really delighted to see every contestant contribute tremendous time and efforts preparing for it with our teachers. They all exemplify GW spirit, increasing interest in learning Chinese language and culture, and above all, the mutual understanding of Chinese and Americans. I hope that their victory motivates both Tim and Caleb to continue further studies in Chinese, as well as encourages more of our students to pursue excellence in the global community in the future.
--Miaochun Wei



Prof. Miaochun Wei (left), Tim Quinn, Prof. Julia Chen (center), Prof. Phyllis Zhang (front, served as judge in this competition). Caleb Dependahl, Prof. Hongyuan Dong (right, served as judge in the previous competition).