On October 11, the 11th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students kicked off in Kunming, Yunnan.

A record high 332 teachers and students from 99 countries participated in the competition. Cuba, the Cook Islands, Panama, Andorra and Iceland all sent competitors to China for the first time.

The event was organized with the theme of “Learning the Chinese Language, Making Chinese Friends” and is sponsored by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) and the Yunnan Provincial People’s Government. The event will be held October 7-22 in both Beijing and Kunming. During the finals and closing ceremony on October 21, the winning teams from five continents will compete for the championship.

The competitors are mainly secondary school students. To enhance the mutual trust and friendship between Chinese and foreign children, the organizers will offer a series of activities allowing the competitors to visit schools, families, companies, as well as urban and rural communities.