Western students celebrate win at Chinese Language Bridge Competition
Winner of the Australian university division of the prestigous international Chinese Language Bridge Competition 2022, Ms Maddison Saysanavongpheth.
Western Sydney University students Maddison Saysanavongpheth and Tuan Tran have been awarded first and second place respectively in the Australian university division of the prestigious international Chinese Language Bridge Competition 2022 for non-native Chinese learners.
As the winner and runner up in the Australian university division, both Maddison and Tuan have been selected to represent Australia in the international final and will receive a government scholarship opportunity to study in Beijing, China.
The competition for non-native Chinese learners saw students from 120 countries competing in three rounds to showcase their skill in Chinese speech, Chinese cultural performance, and Chinese history knowledge.
Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of International Studies student Maddison wowed the judges with her winning cultural performance blending traditional Chinese poetry with martial arts.
Having studied Mandarin for only 18 months as a sub-major in her International Studies degree, Maddison’s natural talent shone through in her competition winning performance combining her passion for Chinese martial arts with her new language skills.
“I chose to study Mandarin specifically as I do Chinese martial arts, and I wanted to be able to use Mandarin in the kid's classes that I teach so my students can also learn the language behind the martial art they're studying,” Maddison said.
“The language program at Western is really good. I love the challenge; Mandarin is a tonal language and can be hard to learn because the various tones are hard to hear for the untrained ear, however, my teachers have been amazing.“
Bachelor of Business student Tuan’s speech, ‘My crush on Chinese learning’ showcased a funny story about his Chinese learning experiences incorporating tonal language puns and tongue twisters of spicy food.
As an avid fan of ancient Chinese costume drama television mini-series adapted from classic novels, Tuan was also inspired to begin studying Chinese language studies 18 months ago.
“These multiple episode TV series are such important memories of my childhood and spending quality family time with my grandmother, I enjoyed watching them together with her”.
“The Chinese language is so unique, especially its writing system as each Chinese character has a story to be told. I practice writing Chinese characters to help train my mindfulness. It is one of the techniques that I usually utilise to stay calm and relaxed when I feel stressed out”, Tuan said.
Professor Matt MacGuire, Dean of the School of Humanities and Communication Arts, congratulated Maddison and Tuan for their outstanding achievements.
“Western prides itself on offering innovative research and flexible teaching programs for students like Maddison and Tuan to thrive in. As one of the best Chinese language programs in Australia, our students are building language and intercultural communication skills that will boost their career prospects and global engagement”, said Professor McGuire.
Associate Professor Ruying Qi, Chinese Program Founder, Convenor and Director of Bilingualism Research Lab in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts, said Maddison and Tuan’s success demonstrates the life-changing influence of learning a new language and culture.
Producing 16 winners and finalists in the 14 years that Western has participated in the international competition, Associate Professor Qi credits the programs continued student success to her dedicated teaching team and excellence of her students.
“Their incredible achievements are a testament to the sustained excellence of our Chinese language program and the bilingual talents of our students”, said Associate Professor Qi.
In addition to support from the School and Associate Professor Qi, the students participated in three months of intensive mentoring in preparation for the competition with their coach and teacher, Mr Lijiang Zhao.
ENDS
19 August 2022
Danielle Aiken, Media Officer
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