Christina Wong Man-yan (left), Isabelle Ho Yan-ching (center) and Charmaine Wu Sum-ching represented Hong Kong at the "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition National Grand Finals through video conferencing on Oct 6, 2021. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

Three Hong Kong secondary students received first prize in the “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition National Grand Finals on Wednesday. 

The event was held in Chengdu, Sichuan province, but because of quarantine restrictions, students in Hong Kong competed via video link. 

In the junior secondary division, Charmaine Wu Sum-ching, from Diocesan Girls’ School, and Christina Wong Man-yan, from St. Paul’s Co-educational College, competed with the best in the country, and made it to the top 12. They each delivered a speech on “The Promise Of Youth”, followed by an impromptu speech and a question-and-answer session with the judging panel. 

Wu shared her views on the roles of Chinese youths in the modern era, particularly in the 21st century, and concluded her speech with the powerful statement: “The future belongs to us young people, and our hopes also rest with them. Young people of tomorrow, I am with you in upholding these promises!”

Wong gave an inspiring address, with the opening remark “You are never too young to change the world.” She then elaborated on the strengths of youths and their influences in the world, before wrapping up her speech with the declaration: “We should strive to move forward.” 

In the senior secondary category, Isabelle Ho Yan-ching, from St. Paul’s Co-educational College, delivered a speech on the topic, “History As A Mirror”.

“I believe what truly propels us to our future is history,” she said, illustrating how historical legacies can inform the world today, or “this generation”, with invaluable insights. She encouraged the audience to hold the brush with the lessons from history to paint the future of China. 

Ho said she enjoyed the competition. “I was very excited. It was a great experience, and a very good memory,” she said