Two to represent HK in top English-speaking contest

SAR students a step closer to dream of national honors after topping regional competition

Two local secondary school students will represent Hong Kong in the finale of a leading nationwide English-speaking competition after winning titles in the city's regional contest on Saturday.

Lee Sze-yat from G.T. (Ellen Yeung) College and Christian Suen Chung-man from St. Paul's Co-educational College won the respective top prizes in the junior and senior divisions in the Hong Kong regional contest of the "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition.

Winner of the junior division Lee Sze-yat (center), and Christian Suen Chung-man (second right), champion of the senior division of the Hong Kong regional contest of the "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition, in a group photo with Zhou Li (first left), publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific and editorial board member of China Daily Group; Undersecretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin (second left); and Raymond Tam Chi-yuen (first right), executive director of corporate affairs of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Photos by Edmond Tang / China Daily

Contestants who made it to the Hong Kong regional final of the "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition show off their award certificates at Saturday's ceremony.

As one of the largest of its kind in China, the national competition attracted more than 1 million young student participants last year.

Lee and Suen stood out among 25 Hong Kong contestants at the regional finale held at Pui Ching Primary School on Saturday.

Participants were evaluated on their speech contents, presentation skills and English proficiency.

"The prize was a big surprise for me as it was my first time joining any public speaking competition," Lee said. She was proud to have overcome stage fright.

Suen, on the contrary, had gained experiences from previous competitions and had won several awards on public speaking. He said he tried to focus on the issues of Chinese national identity and youth education when preparing his proposition speech on "responsibility". His idea impressed the judges.

The pair will compete with other regional winners from across the country in the national finale in April. The final, to be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, also serves as the qualifier in China of the annual International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC), which will be hosted in London, the United Kingdom.

Gilbert Lewis James, Lee Ching, Ma Hiu-chun, and Yeung Lok-yi were Saturday's runners-up in the regional contest, jointly hosted by China Daily Asia Pacific, VDO English and Asia Children Education Association.

Sally Watson, a member of the panel of judges and a senior teacher from the British Council, said she was impressed that the students related their personal experience to their speeches, making them interesting and easy to follow.

It was the second year Hong Kong has held the regional contest for the national competition. Launched in 2017, the regional contest aims to provide a stage for Hong Kong secondary school students to demonstrate their fluency in English, and to enhance exchanges between young people from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Zhou Li, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Asia Pacific and editorial board member of China Daily Group, said the 21st Century National English Speaking Competition "has an eye on the future".

"Our end is to encourage our young people to become full participants in this increasingly globalized and highly competitive world," said Zhou.

Also attending the event were heavyweights from various sectors. Christine Choi Yuk-lin, the city's undersecretary for education, said the contest had given precious opportunities for Hong Kong students to improve their communication skills, creativity and critical thinking.

Raymond Tam Chi-yuen, executive director of corporate affairs of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, urged students to put themselves in an English-speaking environment. "The key (of learning English) is to have fun and enjoy the process," said Tam.

Liu Jianfeng, deputy director-general of Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a member of Legislative Council of Hong Kong, also attended the awards ceremony.

Ip encouraged students to build up confidence through speaking in public. "Speakers should not be worrying about making mistakes," she said.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club and Haitong International Securities were the title sponsor and golden sponsor, respectively, of the event. Other sponsors included Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, the Fong Shu Fook Tong Foundation and Hong Kong Disneyland.

The competition also gained support from the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR, the Education Bureau of the HKSAR, the British Council and the English-Speaking Union - an independent, non-profit, educational charity.