A bilingual recitation competition in the UK has become a stage for cultural exchange among its young participants.

The 4th UK English-Chinese Bilingual Recitation Competition, which concluded at the end of November in London, included nearly 40 finalists from four age categories — 5–7, 8–10, 11–13, and 14–18 — after several selection rounds. Each contestant recited two pieces, one in Chinese and the other in English, from a variety of genres including poetry, prose, classical literature and personal stories.

Chinese and British experts from cultural and educational communities formed the judging panel, which included Frances Wood, former curator of Chinese collections at the British Library; Beth McKillop, former deputy director of the Victoria and Albert Museum; and Yukteshwar Kumar, course director of the Chinese Stream at the University of Bath.

The judges said the contest showed the educational value of studying in both Chinese and English, and transcended mere competition to encompass life’s journey through language, creation and the struggle to achieve.

Bai Xianping, a Chinese language education specialist in London, said it was a pleasure to see young contestants making progress in terms of their language ability, expression and confidence.

It was particularly impressive to see a contestant, who joined the event last year, recite Shu Dao Nan (The Difficulty of Shu Road) by Chinese poet Li Bai (701-762) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), she added, as “not many adults can recite the whole piece”.

The event, jointly organized by charity The Mothers’ Bridge of Love, Capital Class, and KYX International Education, aimed to use language “as a bridge to connect the world and the heart”.