Peking University, Dec.6, 2011: The International Students Speech Competition (2011), held by the School of Chinese as a Second Language, Peking University (PKU), came to a satisfactory close on December 2.

A contestant delivers his speech in the competition

The process of this year’s contest was the same as those of previous years. The students from beginner, intermediate and advanced classes competed separately over three afternoons.

The 50 competitors came from 14 different countries and regions. The faculty panel evaluated the contesters according to their overall performance, including the content of their speeches, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, performance on stage and answers to questions. Each group produced one first prize; two to three second prizes and three to five third prizes, according to the number of competitors.

More than 600 students came to watch the competition. They are currently studying in long-term class, preparatory class, or Chinese-learning cooperation projects established with Stanford, Yale, Oxford and other universities. Officers from these projects, as well as those from the Office for International Student Affairs, also came to watch.

The entertainment section during the break

The evaluation committee of the senior group

This semester, PKU School of Chinese as a Second Language further emphasized voice, grammar and expression as the teaching focus for primary, intermediate and advanced learners.

The results could be seen in this speech competition. Junior competitors showed more accurate pronunciation than in previous years, while the advanced learners’  performances were outstanding in terms of ideology, interest, and logic. In the question and answer section, the judgers asked about the content of competitors’ speeches, which explored in depth the topics raised and added to the liveliness of the atmosphere.

The speech competition is a large-scale educational activity conducted by the School of Chinese as a Second Language every autumn. It has already become a key project of the school, motivating international students to learn Chinese, raising their ability in to express themselves in Chinese and enriching their life in general.

Written by: Jiang Zhaohui
Edited by: Arthars
Source: PKU News (Chinese)