The final round for the 2021 “My Story of Chinese Hanzi” international competition, hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and organized by the Xining Municipal Government and People’s Daily Online, came to a successful close on Oct. 12 in Xining, capital of northwest China’s Qinghai province.
Li Xikui, vice president of CPAFFC, Ying Xiuli, deputy director of the foreign affairs office of the Qinghai provincial government, Liu Chengyou, head of the Qinghai Bureau of People’s Daily, and other honored guests attended the event.
Luo Hua, Editor-in-Chief of People’s Daily Online, two professors with the Communication University of China, together with other experts, were invited to be the judges.
Li Xikui said that the Chinese character “Ren,” which represents benevolence and the unity of all things under heaven, has always been a fundamental value that runs in the blood of all Chinese people. The value has helped to foster the Chinese nation’s concepts of “harmony between man and nature” and “one world, one family.” The competition, which took “Ren” as its main theme, has taken aim at helping more foreigners to understand the Chinese nation’s pursuit of peace, amity and harmony, he added.
The current Covid-19 pandemic has proven once again that the human race is an integral community and that planet Earth is its homeland, Li said, calling on the world to adopt the concept of “Ren” to build a community with a shared future for mankind. He hopes that all contestants will make contributions to creating a more peaceful, tranquil, prosperous and beautiful world.
During the competition’s finals, 10 finalists from Germany, Kazakhstan, Argentina, India, Japan and other countries spoke of their bonds to Chinese characters and shared their understanding of the meaning of “benevolence and kindness towards fellow human beings,” the underlying values represented by “Ren.” Michael Mubaiwa from Zimbabwe emerged as the eventual winner, after the scoring was carried out by the judges, with the scores comparing competitors’ Chinese language expression abilities, the core message behind their stories and how their stories promoted exchanges between different civilizations.
Since the online competition kicked off on May 17, it has attracted over 3,000 contestants from more than 50 countries and regions around the world. The competition aims to promote the profound nature of Chinese characters, traditional Chinese values, and the aspiration for mutual respect, equity, justice, and mutually beneficial cooperation.