Last Thursday, a group of Year 12 Mandarin Club students had an exciting evening out, watching the 24th annual “Chinese Bridge” Business Chinese Proficiency Competition UK Final. They travelled to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) to watch eight candidates from universities throughout the UK. The participants presented their business proposals for Charitable Projects & Business Innovation for UK University Students. Here are a few students report on the event:
The competitors did not fail to entertain with their impressive range of business proposals and creative presentations, such as a collaboration to fix British Airways’ grim food service, candles with QR codes that double as a lesson in Chinese history and culture, a bold claim that a VIP from BYD was sitting in the audience (who, unfortunately, left before we could introduce ourselves) and, the crowd pleaser and ultimate winner … “Quid Coffee”, which I imagine needs no clarification. But of course, who could forget our presenter throughout the evening, a Caucasian man who walked out onto the stage and immediately began speaking Chinese with incredible clarity and fluency one can only dream of attaining without Ms Chen as their teacher. Also, a shoutout is deserved by the aforementioned competitor who made the BYD presentation, who bravely took part despite being the only first-year Mandarin student there. After the event was over, the Mandarin crew had the rare chance to enjoy the sights of London after dark. I think we would all agree, that this trip was well worth it! – George V
The participants put forward a range of solutions, tackling both local and international issues. One such local solution was the creation of a yoga and coffee shop on the university campus to help students with their mental health before examinations with another student also proposing homemade candles, using eco-friendly materials to promote Chinese literature, mythology and culture through their designs and QR codes, an idea the judges deeply resonated with.
On the international level, one participant used his dissatisfaction with the catering of British Airways to promote a collaboration with Cathay Pacific to provide the catering for journeys to Asia, promoting Chinese/Cantonese cuisine to travellers, while another participant presented a plan for the Chinese electric car company BYD to expand into Western markets such as the UK, impressing BYD UK representatives in the audience!
However, by far the most compelling presentation (and most confident) was by Harry, a fourth-year student from the University of Leeds (and the Tiffin students’ favourite to win). Utilising his discontent with the expensive coffee found in the UK, he proposed his fascinating idea of ‘One-pound Coffee’ centred around providing £1 coffee to commuters and students to help alleviate the UK’s cost of living crisis, aiming to provide each coffee in an eye-watering 30 seconds using machines. His proposal piqued the interest of the judges who were curious about where he would set up his stalls and how he would ensure efficiency. His confident and skilful display impressed the judges and the audience and ultimately led him to win a well-deserved 1st place.
The whole competition was extremely eye-opening for the Tiffin students there, serving as an exceptional inspiration for their future Mandarin learning journey. – Junwei L
Going to the Chinese Bridge Business UK final was very interesting. Seeing university-level students competing with their skills, speaking fluidly and confidently was quite inspiring. Especially as I have always found it hard to learn languages, their commitment and display were enlightening and really made me appreciate the opportunities that we have to enrich our lives. Despite it being a long evening, the competition was certainly an unforgettable experience for all of us there. – Alexander S
