Thakane’s Triumph in the Chinese Bridge Competition

                                   Thakane’s Triumph in the Chinese Bridge Competition

 

Thakane, a dedicated and hardworking student, recently achieved remarkable success in the Chinese Bridge competition. This prestigious contest, which tests participants on their Chinese language skills, performance, and cultural understanding, was a significant challenge, but Thakane rose to the occasion, and her journey is an inspiring example of perseverance and effort.

Thakane has been learning Chinese for about 10 years, and she was drawn to the language because of its distinctiveness and the challenge it posed. As she put it, “Chinese is quite difficult, but I saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone”. Her teacher, Danni, played a crucial role in her success. Throughout the preparation, Danni, her Chinese Lecturer, helped Thakane refine her speech and performance, paying particular attention to her pronunciation and tone. Chinese is known for its tonal nature, which makes pronunciation especially tricky, but Thakane worked diligently to master it, despite the difficulties it posed compared to her native languages.

The most challenging aspect for Thakane was the pronunciation, especially since Chinese differs greatly from both her mother tongue and English. She struggled with the tones, but through consistent practice and feedback from her lecturer, she was able to improve. Another hurdle was balancing her exam preparations with the competition, but Thakane managed her time well and never let one affect the other.

Her performance in the competition was a testament to her hard work. Thakane’s speech topic, “Hello, Hello China,” was deeply personal, as “你好” (nǐ hǎo) was the first Chinese phrase she learned, opening the door to a new world for her. In the end, her preparation paid off. Thakane came first overall in the competition, a result that left her feeling confident and proud of her efforts.

Reflecting on the experience, Thakane shared, “This competition showed me that Chinese people are quite similar to South Africans in terms of values and what they hold important”.  She also encouraged other Chinese students to participate, noting the opportunities the competition provides to learn more about Chinese culture, connect with new people, and potentially travel to China. Thakane’s victory proves that with hard work, dedication, and the right guidance, anyone can succeed in challenging endeavors. Her story is a powerful reminder that perseverance leads to success, and the results will reflect the effort you invest.