Source: School of Foreign Languages
Written by: Zhang Jiayan
Translated by: Li Yujia, Wang Xinlin
Proofread by: Liang Jianxin, Pugachev Andrei, Zheng Yongjun
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On April 13-16, 2017, the second round of “Chinese Language Teaching Idols” competition, organized by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), was held in Beijing Language and Culture University. The Russian student Pugachev Andrei and the Belgian student Yongjun Zheng from School of Foreign Languages at Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), have stood out among 132 contestants from 59 universities across the country and entered Top 50. They will participate in the finals of “Chinese Language Teaching Idols” competition in June this year.

Four students of the Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL) program at SYSU have successfully stood out in the first round competition among over 700 contestants from 84 universities. During this second round, Andrei and Zheng faced and handled the challenges with a clear mind, and outplayed the other competitors with their excellent comprehensive capabilities and outstanding teaching skills. They both successfully entered Top 50 of the “Chinese Language Teaching Idols” competition.
 

Yongjun Zheng (left) and Pugachev Andrei (right)
 

Andrei was invited to make a speech during the closing ceremony on behalf of the international students. He first thanked the sponsors and the organizers of the event and expressed his special thanks to his tutor Wang Yu and Sun Yat-sen University. Andrei commented that he started learning Chinese because he was attracted by Chinese kung fu and Chinese culture. Then he came to SYSU to continue his education. Andrei soon fitted himself into the Chinese community and with teachers’ instruction and guidance, made remarkable progress in his Chinese learning. He was determined to enhance his Chinese-teaching skills to introduce and disseminate the extensive and profound Chinese culture to more people worldwide.
 

Pugachev Andrei delivering a speech
 

The “Chinese Language Teaching Idols” is a grand international gathering for postgraduate students of MTCSOL program, and it has aroused great interest and been covered by a multitude of media including People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Guangming Daily, and CCTV Education Channel, etc. During the competition, SYSU students have been interviewed several times, exhibiting the demeanor of SYSU students.