Participants on the 17th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students started their journey in Tianjin on Oct 17.
A total of 113 high school students from 96 countries and regions gathered at the Ninghe Daoxiang Family Farm in Tianjin’s Ninghe district to experience the local cuisine and the beautiful scenery of the rice fields.
During their visit, "Chinese Bridge" contestants acted as "rice farmers", experiencing the traditional process of rice threshing.
An Italian participant, whose Chinese name is Lang Boping, said this was his first time visiting the rural areas of Ninghe district and that the exquisite paintings in the rice fields left him deeply impressed.
The trip to Tianjin's Ninghe district has allowed the "Chinese Bridge" contestants to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture and continue progressing on the path of learning Chinese.
Since the first "Chinese Bridge" in 2002, the competition has attracted 1.7 million young people from 160 countries, with over 7,000 young people travelling to China to join the global finals. Each year, millions of viewers from around the world watch the "Chinese Bridge" competition. This event has become a "bridge of culture, friendship, and hearts", promoting mutual understanding among nations.