Expats Chinese talent contest held

Finalists of the Seventh Shenzhen Expats Chinese Talent Competition pose for a photo after being awarded at a Futian hotel Saturday. Photos by Sun Yuchen

Zhang Yang

nicolezyyy@163.com

ELEVEN contestants from eight countries wowed the audience and judges with their fluent Chinese and impressive show of talent at the 7th Shenzhen Expats Chinese Talent Competition at Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen, on Saturday.

The three-hour competition consisted of three rounds — a three-minute prepared speech in Chinese, a talent show and Chinese knowledge trivia.

Lee Ki-baek, a 13-year-old from South Korea, scored the highest and won the top prize. He praised Shenzhen as a “city of parks” in his speech and performed a stand-up comedy act in Beijing-style mandarin he had perfected while living in Beijing for several years before moving to Shenzhen.

The two runners-up were Somruedee Sae-wan, an 18-year-old from Thailand, and James Ahn, a 13-year-old South Korean. Sae-wan said that she gained stage experience and the courage to make speeches in the spotlight by participating in the competition.

Another contestant, Syed Israr Ali Shan, who has opened seven fighting clubs in Shenzhen while living in the city for seven years, won the excellence award. The martial artist from Pakistan won a long and warm applause from the audience after his Chinese kung fu performance.

The Pakistani systematically learned Chinese kung fu as well as traditional Chinese therapies, such as bone-setting, scraping therapy and cupping, from a martial artist in Shandong Province. “I hope more people will join me and promote Chinese martial arts around the world,” he said.

Liu Jun, a State-accredited senior anchor, who was one of the five judges of the competition, spoke highly of the contestants’ performances, which demonstrated the various forms of Chinese culture, such as Chinese dance, poetry and calligraphy.

“Chinese culture is an important bond maintaining the continuity of the Chinese history for thousands of years,” Liu said, adding that he hopes the contestants will keep promoting Chinese culture when they return to their home countries.

The competition, co-hosted by the city’s foreign affairs office and information office and co-organized by the Shenzhen Daily and eyeshenzhen.com, has become one of the most influential events in the city’s foreign community.

Since the competition was launched in 2010, thousands of expats have participated in it, with several of its contestants becoming rising stars on Chinese TV shows.

“An essential part of our work is to offer an opportunity for expats in the Pearl River Delta region to learn the Chinese language and understand Chinese culture,” said Dong Haitao, editor-in-chief of the Shenzhen Daily.

（Editor Lily A）