To promote cultural exchange and communication among global youth, as well as to showcase achievements of international Chinese language education, New Channel International Education Group, together with China Education Television, is holding the 4th “Stories of China Retold in English” Challenge.
The Domestic Foreign Students Category was set up for youth from various cultural backgrounds in 2021 under the guidance of Center for Language Education and Cooperation. The participants from all over the world vividly told us what they had seen, heard, and thought in Chinese (preferred) or English, based on their study and life experience in China, including Chinese traditional classic stories and the ones of the Contemporary China's reform and opening-up, poverty alleviation, fighting COVID-19 and the wonderful characters and events of Chinese-foreign exchanges and cooperation. They have become the witnesses and facilitators for the integration of China and the world; meanwhile, their active participation has enriched and deepened the significance of the challenge.
The details are as follows:
Rounds of the Challenge and Schedule
The selection of the Domestic Foreign Students Category includes 4 rounds: Preliminary Round, Intermediate Round, Advanced Round and Grand Showcase. The closing date for the preliminary round is April 18, 2024.
Description of Preliminary Round
Follow WeChat Official Account CHN Stories, reply "来华留学生" to learn more about the form of the event / submission information / recommended recitation articles for your reference and related suggestions.
Language in Use
Participants are required to present in a language other than their native language, as follows:
Category |
First Language |
Language in Performance |
Domestic Foreign Students Category |
English |
Chinese |
Non-English |
Chinese (preferred) or English |
Registration process
1. For individual participation
Step 1.
Scan the QR code and fill in the registration information
Kindly reminder: When you fill in the registration form, please select [中国-China] as the "Country or region where the school/college located”.
After successful registration, contestants can receive event notifications through the WeChat group or WeChat official account CHN Stories.
Step 2.
Prepare and upload your video work.
2. For group participation
Teachers may register for the challenge on behalf of individual students.
Step 1.
Click the link http://story.storyofchina.cn and submit.
Step 2.
Download the domestic foreign students category group registration form
Step 3.
Follow the instructions and fill in form.
Kindly reminder: Both Chinese and English names of the college are required to be filled in.
Step 4.
Upload the filled-in form.
Step 5.
Upload the videos or other writing & recording works for the students.
Requirements
The contestants will prepare their entries in one of three forms: "Recitation", "Self-Introduction" and "Story Writing & Retelling". The requirements are as follows:
1. Recitation
Contestants choose one of the recommended articles, or any article from the recommended books, recite a story paragraph in non-native language. Requirement: Contestants recite in front of the camera, record a video of no more than 1.5 minutes, and submit the video work online.
1) Qu Yuan and the Orchids of Jiuwan Stream
2) Lingering Nostalgia
3) Origin of Chinese Wisdom
4) The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge
5) Classical Music: Story of Mountains and Streams
6) Train Ticket Seller Sun Qi
7) Terracotta Warriors The Eighth Wonder of the World
8) Biangbiang Noodles A Fantastic Dish with a Fantastic Name
9) Zeng Guofan Pioneer of the Self-Strengthening Movement
10) Xiang Embroidery Using Needles to Create Artworks
11) Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology Pursuing Excellence in Aerospace Innovation
12) The Jiangnan Shipyard The Cradle of Chinese National Industry
Follow the WeChat Official Account CHN Stories. By typing “来华留学生组”, contestants can download the recommended materials.
2. Self-Introduction
The contestant will introduce himself/herself. The content of the introduction shall contain Chinese elements, which include but are not limited to Chinese cultural icons, Chinese customs, Chinese great figures, Chinese achievements, Chinese arts, or Chinese spirit.
Steps: Contestants will introduce themselves in front of the camera, present your
performance during video recording as if you were on the real stage, and submit a 1.5-minute video online.
3. Story Writing & Retelling
Contestants shall write a short story based on Chinese elements. Please be careful not to use the contestants themselves as the subject of the story. Chinese elements include but are not limited to Chinese cultural icons, Chinese customs, Chinese great figures, Chinese achievements, Chinese arts, or Chinese spirit. Your story should have a clear narrative structure, including a "beginning" (introducing the setting and main characters), a "body" (describing the main events and the climax of the story), and an "ending" (creative endings are especially encouraged).
Steps: Contestants will write a creative story and read/recite it on a simulated stage, and submit a 1.5-minute audio online/audio. (The story script is optional.)
Suggestions for Participation
1. Recommended materials:
Please subscribe to WeChat Official Account to download more recommended recitation materials.
2. Submission: 1 or 2 files submitted through the Webpage.
3. Video guidelines: Video is maximum 1.5 minutes long, and the supported file formats are mp4, flv, mkv, rmvb, etc. The maximum video file size is 200M.
4. Text guidelines: The file formats such as doc、docx、pdf、txt、jpg、png are supported. The maximum size of the text file size is 20M. Please upload images or input text, if you are an Android user.
5. During the presentation, please refrain from disclosing personal information (such as name, school name, or school uniform/logo). If using a mobile phone for recording, it is recommended to use landscape mode, showcasing the upper body and complete body language for higher video quality. This increases the chances of being selected for the high-quality promotion video of featured participants. Present your performance during video recording as if you were on the real stage, and you can prepare your own backgrounds, PPT, costumes and props to assist. Please avoid advertising, having identical content with others, plagiarism, and any suspicious conduct.
6. Judging Results: After the preliminary evaluation, contestants will receive the promotion results through the WeChat group or WeChat Official Account CHN Stories (the notification will include instructions for the next round of the challenge).
Notes
Participants should ensure that personal information provided is authentic and accurate, and content of the performance is original. The organizing committee may disqualify any performance deemed to include plagiarized or copied material or to have been produced through any form of cheating. Any prizes connected with such problematic content may also be revoked.
Winners of the previous Grand Showcase may not participate in the selection activities of the 4th Grand Showcase.
Audio and video works, manuscripts, on-site video materials and copyrights of all participants are owned by the Organizing Committee, and the right of final interpretation and arbitration of all matters of this event belongs to the Organizing Committee.
Organizing committee of the 4th “Stories of China Retold in English” Challenge
December 12, 2023
Follow the WeChat Official Account CHN Stories. Type "来华留学生组" to learn more information.
