For more than 20 years, the "Chinese Bridge" series of Chinese competitions has nurtured countless talented contestants and built a dream bridge connecting the world and China. These contestants from all over the world, with their love for Chinese and their yearning for Chinese culture, shined on the stage of "Chinese Bridge". Emma, an 11-year-old Croatian girl, is one such player. Not only is she fluent in Chinese, but she has also shown extraordinary talent in painting and literary creation. In 2023, on the stage of the 3rd "Chinese Bridge" World Primary School Students' Chinese Show, she shared her story of encountering, knowing and promising Chinese.
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Emma's solo performance on the stage of "Chinese Bridge".
Paint the world with a brush and weave dreams with words. Emma has won several painting awards, two successful solo exhibitions, and her packaging for a local chocolate brand has been critically acclaimed. Her first original novel, The Life of a Dog, was published this year, and it depicts the deep emotions between humans and animals. In the future, Emma plans to translate the book into Chinese and publish it in China, so that more readers can experience her story through her words.
This year, as an old friend of "Chinese Bridge", Emma served as the host of the preliminaries of the 4th "Chinese Bridge" World Primary School Chinese Show in Croatia, which made her very proud. "Participating in 'Chinese Bridge' was the best time of my life." "I hope my story will inspire children around the world and show them that dreams can come true if they work hard." ”
Listen! The most beautiful sound, my heart is fascinated
In addition to drawing and writing, the versatile Emma has a soft spot for Chinese. The Chinese voice with its subdued and rhythmic voice deeply attracted her.
"As soon as I heard the pronunciation of Chinese, I fell in love with it." Emma's love for Chinese began with a language learning software installed for her by her father 6 years ago, and the rhythm and rhythm of Chinese are like a beautiful music, which inspired her enthusiasm for learning Chinese. In just a few years, she has made amazing progress, not only speaking Chinese better and better, but also falling in love with China's rich culture and customs.
On the way to learn Chinese, Emma has always been brave and has overcome every problem through unremitting efforts, "Although writing Chinese characters is very complicated, I will continue to challenge myself, insist on learning new words every day, and repeatedly practice writing." I found that in fact, Chinese characters also have a pattern. In Emma's view, learning any language is difficult, and Chinese is the same, but as long as you love the language and learn it with passion, you can succeed. She believes that it was her luck to meet Chinese. This passion, perseverance and hard work helped her quickly become a "scholar" in Chinese.
Walk! Take the "Chinese Bridge" and explore the colorful world
Through the opportunity to participate in the "3rd 'Chinese Bridge' World Primary School Student Chinese Show", Emma set foot on Chinese soil for the first time and felt the charm of China firsthand. "When I came here, I saw the real China, not only experienced different cultures, but also made a lot of friends from all over the world, which was a very amazing experience." Emma, who won the "Most Creative" award, excitedly shared, "I am very happy and proud! This is a recognition of my learning of Chinese. ”
This recognition is not only an affirmation of Emma's Chinese learning achievements, but also the best proof of her unremitting efforts. This year, when she was the host of the Croatian preliminaries, she encouraged the contestants: "If you want to learn Chinese well, you should speak, listen and write more." "She knows that only by preparing carefully and carefully, and practicing her speech and talent to the extreme, can she stand out in the competition." Only through continuous effort and practice can we progress and reach the ultimate goal. ”
Emma hopes that the players will not worry too much about the result. "Everyone is unique and has different beauty, so we should enjoy the process of the competition to the fullest, experience China to the greatest extent, and feel its beauty."
In Emma's view, Chinese is a key that can open the "hearts" of different countries and peoples. The "Chinese Bridge" is a stage full of joy and challenge, which is the best example of the integration of different cultures. She proudly said: "I introduce Croatian culture in China, and Chinese culture in Croatia. When she returned to Croatia with the results of her Chinese studies, many TV stations and newspapers reported her story and the efforts she put into learning the beautiful language of Chinese.
See! Chinese gives me wings and flies high and far with me
Walking through the "Chinese Bridge", Emma's understanding of Chinese culture was further deepened, and her thinking and horizons became broader. When she left China, her heart was full of reluctance. Fortunately, as one of the winners of the 2023 "Chinese Bridge" Global Chinese Language Conference for Foreigners, she will set foot on Chinese soil again this fall. She firmly believes that persistently learning Chinese will bring her more gains.
Now, Emma is busy working on her new goal – translating her debut novel, A Dog's Life, into Chinese. She said with great anticipation: "After completing the Chinese version of this book, I will have the opportunity to share with you the heartwarming story between me and my dog friends in China. In addition, I also want to tell more friends about my journey of learning Chinese, my perception of painting, and my experience of participating in public welfare activities. ”
Learning Chinese has become a part of Emma's life and has brought her infinite joy. Chinese not only gave her wings to her dreams, but also gave her hope and courage, allowing her to dare to pursue her dreams and explore, helping her to go further and further on the road of growth.