Teen participants in language contest impressed by trips to Beijing, Yunnan

Several participants in the 16th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students enjoy their visit to Yunnan Wild Animal Park in Kunming, Yunnan province. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

A group of foreign teenagers recently toured China and said they found the country interesting and friendly, adding that they were impressed by its culture and natural scenery.

A total of 110 students, age from 14 to 18 from about 100 countries, visited Beijing and Southwest China's Yunnan province during a 15-day tour in October while taking part in the 16th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students.

There are fresh flowers, dried flowers and flower cakes at the (Dounan flower) market. I want to open a flower store here.

Thin Kyu Hlaing, a participant in the 16th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students from Myanmar

In Beijing, the teens visited the Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, the National Museum of China and the National Stadium. In Yunnan, they took trips to Xizhou town, the ancient city of Dali, Erhai Lake, the Chengjiang Fossil Site Natural Museum, Yunnan Wild Animal Park, the Kunming Dounan Flower Market and other places.

They learned the art of paper-cutting and how to make clay figurines, dough models and sachets. They also played Chinese musical instruments, practiced martial arts, engaged in tie-dyeing and tea-making, and tried on traditional Chinese costumes.

The teens learned about China's history by traveling to sites with traditional Chinese architecture and experiencing intangible cultural heritage, while their visits to communities, schools and families helped them understand modern China.

For most, it was their first time visiting China, and many said the tour helped them gain a new perspective and deeper understanding of the country and its people.

Eric Phelipe Dos Reis Dias, from Brazil, said he liked the sachets made in Yunnan and was happy to celebrate his 17th birthday in Kunming, the provincial capital.

"I visited a student's home in Dali, and we made dumplings," he said.

A participant plays a game with Chinese students at a school in Kunming. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

He said he began teaching himself Mandarin four years ago by watching videos online before attending classes at a Confucius Institute.

Luise Maralda Senst, an 18-year-old college student from Germany, cooked and dined with a Chinese family. She also learned some words from the dialect of the Bai ethnic group. "It was so much fun," she said.

Senst said she has been learning Mandarin for three years and that she has progressed quickly because she has received help from an aunt who is Chinese. A Sinology major at her college, she said she will "definitely study in China for at least a year".

Satawat Phansankor, a 16-year-old from Thailand, said he is impressed by the unique way that Bai people drink tea with guests, who are offered three kinds in a sequence: the first is a bitter tea; the second is a sweet tea with red sugar, rushan cheese and cinnamon; and the third is a tea mixed with honey, Sichuan peppers and walnuts. "Just like life, it's bitter before it's sweet, and then slowly becomes savory," he said.

Three participants take a selfie at the Dounan Flower Market in Kunming. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Phansankor said he was also impressed by the electronic flower auction hall at the Dounan Flower Market. "It looks like a stock exchange," he said. "I heard that over 4.5 million fresh flowers are traded here every day, and some of them will be exported to my country."

He added his dream is to become a successful businessman, so he also wanted to obtain some business knowledge in China.

Fifteen-year-old Thin Kyu Hlaing from Myanmar said she liked the Bai people's traditional clothing and their special peacock dance. She was inspired to learn Mandarin after developing an interest in Chinese soap operas. Like Phansankor, she was also impressed by the Dounan market. "There are fresh flowers, dried flowers and flower cakes at the market. I want to open a flower store here," she said.

Telesia Ruth Solomon Tanoai, a 16-year-old from New Zealand, said she is pleased that China is strongly engaged in protecting its animals and environment. "I found that everyone in this country pays great attention to environmental protection," she said. "The biodiversity here is extremely rich, and this has left a deep impression on me."

Themed "Fly High with Chinese", the competition for secondary school students and the 3rd Chinese Bridge Chinese Show for Foreign Primary School Students together give teenagers and young children from around the world a platform to share their knowledge of Chinese and promote people-to-people exchanges. Both competitions are organized by the Ministry of Education's Center for Language Education and Cooperation.

A Chinese instructor teaches several tour participants sachet making at a workshop in Dali, Yunnan. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

As this year also marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of China's Belt and Road Initiative, the competitions also help the contestants learn more about China's modernization, environment, rural life and ethnic cultures, organizers said.

During the final round of the teen Chinese Bridge competition held in Kunming on Oct 30, Chen Jie, vice-minister of education, said that the contest is not only a means to promote exchanges between Chinese and foreign youth, but also serves as a bridge for the cultivation of friendship and understanding between China and the world.

He said he is looking forward to enhancing the world's understanding of China and helping the nation better connect with the world through language exchange projects.

The Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition is also open to college students. Since 2002, about 1.5 million students from about 160 countries have participated in overseas preliminary contests, and about 7,000 have been invited to China to take part in the final rounds. It has become the world's most influential Chinese proficiency contest.

Contact the writers at chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn