Students around the world are taking part in Chinese-language competitions that culminate with finals in China. Organized by the Confucius Institute, "Chinese Bridge" is now in its fifteenth year.
70 students from 15 colleges joined the preliminary rounds of competition in Chicago.
With the theme 'Dreams Enlighten the Future', the competition is meant to test not just language abilities, but also competitors' knowledge of China and cultural talents.
Among these were Chinese songs, Chinese calligraphy, and martial arts.
"I was nervous when I first went to China due to the different cultures between China and America," one competitor said.
"But when I came back to my country, I missed China a lot, because the food is not as tasty as in China, and there were not as many chances of speaking Chinese either, which makes me sad."
The competition is sponsored by the Confucius Institute Headquarters.
The special prize winner gets a paid trip to China to take part in the finals and receives at least half a year's Confucius Institute scholarship.
The next prize winner has a paid trip to watch the final.
The competition has been held annually since 2002 and has become an important platform for college students to learn about China along with its language.
Final match of the 14th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students
