My journey studying Mandarin began in 2001 at Kingsford Community School in London, where studying the language was a compulsory part of the curriculum. At first I was quite sceptical about the language, but then I found myself starting to really enjoy it. Taking part in the HSBC-British Council Chinese Speaking Competition has definitely been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had during my time studying Chinese.

In the first year the competition launched back in 2003, it was a pretty nerve-wracking day as no one knew what to expect and I had the terror of actually being the first participant to go up on stage. Despite being pretty much scared to death, all went well and I was awarded 2nd place that year in the Year 7 – 9 individual’s category. In 2004, my friends and I entered again in the group category, and performed our version of ‘The Sound of Music’, and we came 3rd in the competition. It was not until 2005 that we first tasted success, and were awarded 1st place for our performance of a traditional Chinese tale ‘Sai Wong Shi Ma (The old man lost his horse)’ in Beijing Opera style. Having entered for 3 years now, I was pretty much overcome with joy and a sense of relief – finally our hard work had paid off and we had won! Our prize was an all-expenses paid trip to Beijing, which was my second trip to China, having already taken part in the British Council Summer Immersion Course to Hangzhou in 2004.The trip to Beijing was amazing, especially going to visit the Great Wall of China for the first time. Determined to conquer both categories of the competition, I entered again in 2006 in the Year 12-13 individual’s category, and this time was able to win by myself.

Since taking part in the competition, I have had so many incredible experiences thanks to the study of Chinese, from travelling to China many times and meeting various Chinese ambassadors and foreign dignitaries, to undertaking work-experience at the British Council on the China team, as well as taking part in interviews with newspapers and television channels such as BBC and ITV. My interest turned into a great passion and I realised that it was something I wanted to pursue further at university. Currently I am a 3rd year student of Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, and spent last year abroad at Beijing Normal University studying Chinese language and culture which was really an incredible experience.  

Once I graduate next year, I would very much like to live in China long-term, and work in international relations and diplomacy. This summer, I will be undertaking an internship at the European Council of Foreign Relations in Westminster working on the China team.

Without a doubt, my life would be radically different  had I not participated in the Chinese speaking competition as my desire to learn the language grew immensely thanks to it and I truly fell in love with China.  The commitment and enthusiasm of HSBC and the British Council in supporting the study of the Chinese language in the UK is incredibly admirable and one that has had a deep and profound effect on my life. Chinese has pretty much been the focal point of my life for the past ten years, so I couldn’t possibly imagine what I’d be doing now if I hadn’t begun to learn the language or enter the competition.

As China’s economy has grown rapidly over the past few decades and is now one of the most important nations in the world today, I would encourage anyone with an interest to take up the language and enter the Chinese completion as not only can it be a gateway to an amazing culture and thousands of years of history, but it can also bring with it many exciting opportunities.