Expats show passion for Chinese
Li Hao
“IF you have enough passion and enough time to practice, you can speak fluent Chinese,” said Santiago Cortes, a young Columbian who has been in Shenzhen for two years.
Cortes was one of 20 foreign competitors from 15 countries in a Chinese-speaking contest at Central Walk in Futian on Saturday, which was organized by China Radio International (CRI) and Shenzhen Radio Station.
Like other contestants, Cortes also has a Chinese name, Su Ye.
“I have been studying Chinese for three years. The most difficult part is China’s long history and rich culture. I’m still on the way,” he said.
The 20 expats were required to introduce themselves and compose sentences using given words, give performances in Chinese, and answer questions from a panel of experts from CRI and Shenzhen Radio Station.
“One of my Turkish friends told me about the competition and I love languages,” said Thibaut Desmons, a Frenchman who has been here for a year.
“I studied Chinese at Shenzhen University when I first arrived and can now understand what people say, but writing and characters are hard for me,” said Desmons whose Chinese name, Tian Bao, means “treasure of heaven.”
He studies Chinese by himself and says there are a lot of opportunities to practice.
“I am honored to speak Chinese with everybody,” he said in fluent Chinese.
Determined to demonstrate what they have learned, most expats in the competition learned to speak Chinese so they could become involved in city life. Some have been in Shenzhen for more than 20 years and some have married Chinese women.
The top five contestants will compete in Beijing with contestants from other Chinese cities Sept. 28. The winners could be chosen to host Chinese programs on CRI.
Shenzhen Radio Station will also choose Shenzhen winners to be image ambassadors for the 2011 Universiade next year.
Source： Shenzhen Daily Editor： 洪志科