On May 24, the 2025 “Chinese Bridge” Competition Wellington Regional Finals for tertiary, secondary, and primary school students were successfully held at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). These events were hosted by the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand and organized by the Confucius Institute at VUW. Counselor Tang Jun, responsible for education, science and innovation, and culture affairs at the Chinese Embassy, and former New Zealand Ambassador to China Tony Browne attended the award ceremony and delivered speeches. Over 100 participants, including contestants, Chinese language teachers, and parents from Wellington, Whanganui, Tauranga etc. took part in the event.
Counselor Tang began by congratulating the contestants on their outstanding performances and expressing her gratitude to the teachers and parents for their valuable support, as well as to the Confucius Institute at VUW for their efforts in organizing the event. She emphasized that Chinese President Xi Jinping once noted that language is a tool for human being to exchange thoughts, a carrier for inheriting civilization, and a bridge for enhancing understanding. Chinese is not just a language, it offers a unique perspective for viewing the world, helps people broaden global horizons, enhances intercultural communication skills, and deepens mutual understanding. She stressed that young people represent the future of the world and the hope for China–New Zealand friendship. This year marks the beginning of the second decade of the China–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. To help New Zealand students better understand China and its people, and to benefit from China’s development opportunities, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand offers a variety of scholarships to encourage New Zealand students to study in China. Through learning Chinese and studying in China, it is hoped that students will contribute to enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples of both countries and to the continued healthy and stable development of China–New Zealand relations.
Ambassador Browne shared his personal story of how he first became connected with the Chinese language and recalled his experience organizing the “Chinese Bridge” competition during his time as Chair of the Confucius Institute Board at VUW. He expressed his delight at seeing the competition grow in scale and witnessing the increasing proficiency of the contestants. He encouraged the students to continue their Chinese studies and to serve as ambassadors of friendship between New Zealand and China.
At the final competitions, contestants showcased their Chinese language learning achievements through thematic speeches. They also presented a variety of well prepared talent performances, including traditional Chinese dance, musical instruments playing, singing, and painting. Following an intense competition, the top three winners were selected in each of the four categories—tertiary, senior and junior secondary school, and primary school. Additional awards such as Best Talent Award and Outstanding Mentor Award were also presented. The champions of the tertiary, senior secondary, and primary school categories will represent the Wellington region in the global finals in China.
During the competition, the organizer also set up a variety of Chinese culture workshops outside the main venue, including calligraphy, handicrafts, shuttlecock kicking, and diabolo spinning. These activities made the entire event both educational and culturally immersive.
