The “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Ethiopian college students was held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, on Wednesday.

The competition was jointly hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, the Confucius Institute at Addis Ababa University (AAU) and the Confucius Institute at the FDRE Technical and Vocational Training Institute (TVTI).

At the 2024 edition of the final Chinese proficiency competition in Ethiopia, contestants were challenged to deliver a speech, answer two questions related to Chinese culture, and present a talent show, in the presence of senior Ethiopian government officials, the Chinese diplomatic community in the East African country as well as academia and fellow Chinese language students drawn from across Confucius Institutes in the country.

A total of 11 Ethiopian students from across the country participated in the annual worldwide Chinese-speaking and performance event at TVTI.

Alemu Seyoum, a third-year Chinese language student from the Confucius Institute at the AAU, secured the first prize as he received rounds of applause from the audience for his energetic speech and vibrant traditional Chinese music performance.

“In preparation for the final competition, we have passed through rigorous selection process among our classmates. I am very happy to have won this competition. For me, to be recognized as the winner of this national competition is a very good achievement and it gives me additional motivation to further excel in my Chinese language studies,” Seyoum said.