My Chinese Story Competition

To increase UON Confucius Institute students’ interests in studying Chinese and to exchange learning experience, the Confucius Institute held the first ever ‘My Story about Chinese’ Prize Competition in May and June 2019. Quite a number of UON Confucius Institute students entered the competition.

Topic: Anything related to your study of Chinese

  • Why you are studying
  • What you are most interested in
  • Your experience with the Confucius Institute
  • Your China story

Format: Either handwritten text or voice recording

  • Text composed in English
  • Text composed in Chinese characters or pinyin
  • Voice recording in English
  • Voice recording in Chinese

Length: Any length acceptable

Time: 20 May-21 June 2019

Prize: Awards for all participants

  • One First prize: waiver of tuition fee for Term Three 2019
  • Two Second prizes: 50% discounted tuition fee for Term Three 2019
  • All other competitors: 15% discounted tuition fee for Term Three 2019
  • All competitors: hard and soft copies of compilation of competition works

The competition concluded in July 2019 and the results were announced at UON Confucius Institute WeChat Platform and the prized were awarded to the winners.

2019 winners

List of winners from 2018

Showcase

Damien's learning Chinese story (by Damien Geraghty)

Winner of Chinese competition 2018

First of all I would like to introduce my work, because the reason I'm learning Chinese and my work are related. My name is Damien Geraghty and my Chinese name is DaMin. My Company manufactures a wide range of wood and paper products for Australian schools. These products are for children between the ages of 3 and 12, and their teachers usually help them assemble and decorate the products. Some products are very small such as a small wooden star used as a Christmas tree decoration and some are large such as a tall bookcase about 2 m high, however, the bookcase is very special because it looks like a big tree, unlike an ordinary bookcase. We also produce prints, beautiful wrapping papers, greeting cards, photo frames, etc. We manufacture a total of about 500 different products. My Company uses CNC wood cutting machines, cardboard die cutters, packaging machines, and a range of printing equipment. At this time my company purchases raw materials from China and Australia.

My story (By Julie Hutchinson)

Runner up of Chinese competition 2018

I’m Julie, an Australian engineer. I started learning Chinese this year and became a student at the Confucius Institute at the University of Newcastle.

Every week, I ride my bike to the Confucius Institute. I am so pleased that I have a nice Chinese teacher. My mum studies Chinese too and I practise speaking Chinese with my mum. I love studying Chinese, which is a really interesting language.

There are lots of scenic spots and historical sites in China, so that I would like to go travel there. If I can speak Chinese well, I hope I can work in China one day.

My story about Chinese (By Heather Kember)

3rd place Chinese competition 2018

When I was a little child, my family and I moved to Hong Kong. Because my dad was a professor, and he got a new job there. At primary school, I had a Chinese class and started learning Chinese. We moved back to Australia when I was in High School. And since then, I haven’t learnt Chinese any more. However, when I was admitted to the University, I started studying Chinese again. My story about learning Chinese is just like sitting on a roller coaster, full of ups and downs.

About Chinese, I love the set phrases most. What attracts me a lot is the background story behind them. Sometimes, the literate meaning is totally different from the deep meaning beneath the surface. So under these circumstances, I can learn the history, the culture and the language of China deeper and better.

All in all, I love learning Chinese, which is a really interesting hobby. And I will continue to learn Chinese at the Confucius Institute.