Tony Edwards, a third-year student from Macquarie, has won the NSW section of the Chinese Bridge speaking competition, held on Friday 30 May.

Tony, who will travel to China to compete in the international section of the competition, gave a speech on the topic “My Chinese Dream” and gave a performance on the guqin, a traditional Chinese musical instrument.

The Chinese Bridge competition is a global Chinese-language proficiency contest sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Education. “The competition was fierce, and it’s a considerable honour to win the champion prize,” said Jonathan Benney, lecturer in the Department of International Studies.

Two other Macquarie students participated in the competition: Wenyi Zhu won third prize, and Charith Wickremasinghe received an encouragement award.

“The Macquarie students’ speeches and performances were characterised by their creativity and their capacity to reflect on the issues facing modern China. They fought the pressures of deadlines, classwork, and last-minute illnesses to produce genuinely interesting and well-presented items,” said Jonathan.

Dr Christine Hung, a tutor in the Department of International Studies, also deserves special acclaim, Jonathan says – with himself and Shirley Chan she was the chief coach for the team, and devoted many hours to listening to speeches and providing advice. “Very few days went by without a new suggestion or idea from her!”

Congratulations to the team, and the best of luck to Tony as he moves onto the next stage!

A major in Chinese Studies at Macquarie University can be studied via a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Global Business or several double degree options incorporating a Bachelor of Arts.