The 25th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students is currently taking place in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China. A total of 157 contestants from 138 countries are competing on the global stage. After three fiercely contested rounds, Faith Mba Emmanuel (Chinese name: 陆星瑶 Lu Xingyao), a contestant from the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Nigeria, distinguished herself with her outstanding Chinese proficiency and captivating stage performance, successfully advancing to the Global Top 30. She has thus become the 12th contestant from the NAU Confucius Institute to reach the “Chinese Bridge” Global Top 30 since 2018.

What makes Faith’s achievement particularly remarkable is that she has the shortest Chinese-learning experience among the contestants in this year’s competition. Many contestants have studied Chinese for five or six years, with the longest having studied the language for as many as 15 years. Some have also studied or lived in China for extended periods, benefiting from an immersive Chinese language and cultural environment. In contrast, Faith only began learning Chinese from scratch at the NAU Confucius Institute in March 2025.

In less than a year and a half, Faith has progressed from a complete beginner to competing on the global stage of the “Chinese Bridge.”

Behind this remarkable journey are her passion for the Chinese language and her persistent hard work. Competing against outstanding contestants from around the world, she demonstrated solid language skills and a confident, composed stage presence, advancing through successive rounds to secure her place among the Global Top 30. Her journey is not only a story of courage, perseverance and diligence, but also a vivid reflection of the determination of Nigerian youth to pursue their dreams and embrace challenges.

Since 2018, contestants from the NAU Confucius Institute have achieved outstanding results in the “Chinese Bridge” competitions, winning three African championships, four Global First Prizes and four Global Third Prizes, with 12 contestants advancing to the Global Top 30. The “Chinese Bridge” has become an important international platform for the NAU Confucius Institute to showcase the achievements of its Chinese language education, nurture outstanding Chinese-language talent, and present the talent and vitality of Nigerian youth to the world.

The 25th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students is still underway. We look forward to seeing Faith maintain her excellent form, advance even further in the upcoming rounds, and achieve greater success. We wish her every success as she continues to showcase the talent, confidence and determination of Nigerian youth on the global stage and strives to bring new honours to Nigeria and Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

By Qin Fangfang, Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Nigeria