On November 3rd, the 24th China Daily “21st Century • Coca-Cola Cup” National English Speech Contest Nankai University Selection Competition was successfully held at College of Foreign Languages in Nankai University Balitai Campus . The competition was hosted by China Daily's 21st Century English Education Media and hosted by Nankai University's College of Foreign Languages. After the preliminary selection, a total of ten players from the colleges of Nankai University were selected for the finals of the evening. Li Chuanyong, Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Nankai University, Zou Yujie, Party Secretary of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University, and He Wenju, Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the Tianjin Division of the 21st Century Cup National English Speech Contest of China Daily, attended the final contest. The English Department of the College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University, the professional teachers of the translation department and the foreign teachers were present as judges.
Before the start of the event, Li Chuanyong, Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Nankai University, delivered a speech. Li Chuanyong pointed out that as a new era of college students, it is necessary to strengthen the cultivation of speculative ability and English application ability. Nankai students should strive to improve their ability to express themselves, broaden their horizons, and speak boldly. He hoped that this international event would provide players with a platform to discover their own self and further growth from the exercise on the stage.
In the profound summary and sincere hopes of Li Chuanyong, the speech contest officially kicked off. The theme of the competition proposition speech is “Reform and opening-up: a personal perspective”. The concept of the topic is closely following the development of the country, and the vision of the pattern is more innovative, inspiring players to think constantly. According to the theme, the contestants conducted a deep analysis from different angles, through the ancient or modern time vision, through the global vision, or linked to the reality, showing the spirit of Nankai students' dedication to public interest, strive for progress with each passing day. An impromptu speech and a questioning session of the judges were then conducted on site.
After the competition, Wang Zhiyi, Lin Xiying and Yan Yan won the third place in the championship. The first two players, Wang Zhiyi and Lin Xiying, will represent the Nankai University in the finals of the Tianjin Division. Seven participants including Fang Xiaomeng, Zhang Jingshui and Zhang Mingqi won the “Excellent Participant”. title.
Prof. Ma Hongqi, deputy dean of the College of Foreign Languages at Nankai University and a doctoral tutor in the Department of English, first conducted an on-site review. Ma Hongqi expressed his affirmation of the English proficiency of the contestants, and also made detailed comments and guidance on specific issues such as speech content, presentation skills and stage etiquette. Ma Hongqi hopes that the players will work harder on critical thinking and bravely express their own understanding and deepen the theme of the speech. Think more from the perspective of foreign language learners and look to the future.
Following the comments of Prof. Ma Hongqi, the English teacher, Foreign Teacher Sam Clark of English department, congratulated the success of the competition. He not only praised the players' rich knowledge, innovative thinking and international perspective, but also showed that the outstanding English expression and speech level of the players also impressed him. From the national stories and personal experiences described by the players, he felt the responsibility of the new generation of young people in China and the sense of strengthening the country.
Finally, as a resident judge, He Wenju, secretary general of the Tianjin Regional Organizing Committee of the 21st Century Cup National English Speech Contest of China Daily, commented that she believes that the social hotspots involved in the speech can stimulate the thinking of college students and enable contemporary college students to obtain more precious thinking ability besides English in the competition. She hopes that the players only ask for the devotion but not reward and will continue to benefit from the growth brought by the competition in the future.
It is reported that since the founding of the 21st Century Cup National English Speech Contest, as a traditional project in the English education sector in China, it has received strong support and active participation from experts of national teachers and students in English education community. The College of Foreign Languages of Nankai University has repeatedly undertaken the work related to the campus selection competition of Nankai University and has won the “Best Organization Award” by the organizing committee.
