Chinese-speakers Show Off Their X Factor
09 December 2010
Students from schools across England and Wales will show off their linguistic skills at the X Factor-style regional heat of the HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition at the London School of Economics. The 300 students will compete on Monday 13 December, to win a place in the final at the British Museum in March.
The competition supports and promotes the teaching of Mandarin Chinese as a modern foreign language in UK schools. Now in its eighth year, the competition has attracted a record number of learners eager to prove their Chinese skills. Regional heats are taking place in London and Newcastle, with only the best being invited to attend the final at the British Museum on 10 March – where they could win a visit to China.
The talented youngsters will compete in either the Individual Language Ability or Group Performance section. In the Individual section, contestants give a pre-prepared short presentation in Mandarin, translate sentences from English in to Mandarin and are tested on their knowledge of China and Chinese culture. In the Group Performance section, groups of between four and six students perform a piece of drama, dance or poetry in Chinese. The judging panel will be made up of native and non-native speakers of Mandarin, from a variety of backgrounds.
The competition is part of the British Council and HSBC’s work to prepare children in the UK for life in a global society and work in a global economy. When these students enter employment, they will need to be able to compete in a world where links with China are essential – with projections that the country will become the world’s biggest economy in the next 20 years.
Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council and fluent Chinese speaker, said: “Future success for the UK will in large part depend on our ability to communicate internationally - and China will be an important partner for us. Developing a real understanding of China will be key to the relationship, and learning Mandarin will help to ensure our young people have the intercultural skills to communicate effectively. This competition is a chance to reward students who are making the effort to master the Chinese language.”
The competition has been organised by the British Council – which builds relationships for the UK through English, Education and Culture, and already links around 43,000 pupils and teachers in the UK and China. It is supported by the HSBC Global Education Programme – which focuses on international understanding, disadvantaged children, financial literacy, and environmental education.
For more information, please contact Mark Moulding in the British Council Press Office on 020 7389 4889 or mark.moulding@britishcouncil.org
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The 65 schools competing in the London heat are from: Altrincham, Beckton, Benfleet, Birmingham, Brentwood, Brighton, Buckingham, Callington, Calne, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Clapham, Clapton, Colwyn Bay, Crowthorne, Dartford, Didcot, Dorking, Farnborough, Gillingham, Great Malvern, Hackney, Hammersmith, Hereford, High Wycombe, Horsham, Hove, Ilford, Kentish Town, Langport, Long Eaton, Malvern, Marlborough, Market Bosworth, Muswell Hill, Oswestry, Parson’s Green, Peverell, Pinner, Plympton, Putney, Reading, Rochester, Roehampton, Romford, Runcorn, Sandwich, Sleaford, Slough, South Croydon, South Kensington, St Albans, Stamford Hill, Stratford, Streatham, Upper Norwood, Wargrave, Welling, Westcliff-on-Sea, Wolverhampton, and Wotton-under-Edge. More details available on request.
- The London heat takes place at 10am on Monday 13 December, at the London School of Economics in Houghton Street, WC2A. Please contact Mark Moulding at the British Council if you would like to attend.
- The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build opportunity and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people. We work in the Arts, English, Education and Society, including science and sport - and in the process contribute to the security and prosperity of the UK and the countries where we work. Last year we engaged face to face with 18.4 million people and reached 652 million. We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government. Our total turnover in 2009/10 was £705 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government was £211 million. For every £1 of government grant we receive, we earn £2.50 from other sources. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org
- HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 8,000 offices in 88 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,364 billion at 31 December 2009, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as ‘the world’s local bank’.
