Zhou Lihan performs stand-up comedy.
By Longyuan South Africa Renewables / Yang Kuo
“Hello everyone! My Chinese name is Zhou Lihan, given to me by my Chinese teacher. I love this name dearly, as it binds me closely to Chinese culture.” Recently, the South African National Final of the 25th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students was held in Cape Town, exclusively sponsored by Longyuan South Africa Renewables and co - hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of the Western Cape. The brilliant performance of young South African contestant Zhou Lihan won thunderous applause from the entire audience.
Language serves as a bond for civilisational exchange, and people-to-people connections form the foundation of cross-border friendship. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of the “Chinese Bridge” competition, the Year of China-Africa Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges, and the 10th anniversary of Chinese language integration into South Africa’s national education system. The successful staging of this year’s “Chinese Bridge” stands as a concentrated showcase of a decade of fruitful cultural exchanges between China and South Africa, as well as a vivid practice in building the China-Africa Community with a Shared Future. For 25 years, the “Chinese Bridge” has connected China and the world through language as a medium, while Chinese language education has taken root in South Africa over the past decade, exerting a subtle, nurturing influence. On the competition stage, South African youth demonstrated self-assurance, sincere affection for Chinese culture, and firm recognition of China-South Africa friendship, fully embodying the rich outcomes of bilateral cultural exchanges and heralding a vibrant future of China-South Africa cooperation. With language as the bridge, culture as the soul, and collaboration as the cornerstone, China-South Africa partnership continues to deepen amid heartfelt people-to-people bonds and mutual learning between civilisations.
