Standing on the stage of the 23rd Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in the United Kingdom, Daisy May Lord, one of the contestants, could not hold back her tears as her teacher said, "I am always proud of you", in front of hundreds of audience members.

While other participants patted her arms, trying to comfort the crying girl, waves of emotion swept over Lord. On stage, they are rivals, but off stage, they compliment each other's performances and outfits, giving the impression of close friends even though many of them are meeting for the first time in the competition.

Francesca Pala, a third-year Chinese studies student at the University of Leeds and this year's competition runner-up, said that a shared passion for China, Mandarin, and Chinese culture bonds everyone together.

"It was really obvious that we all love China, Chinese culture, and Mandarin. So, it was really nice to be in that environment where other people could feel the same way you feel," she said.

With the theme "One World, One Family", the 23rd edition of the event united around 120 candidates from different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds, who are studying at 15 UK universities, for the preliminary selection process that began on April 1.

On June 6, eight finalists convened in London to compete.

Zhang Qian, senior manager of the marketing department at the Center for Language Education and Cooperation UK, the organization that has hosted the contest since 2010, has witnessed significant growth in the number of participants. Fourteen years ago, only five or six universities sent fewer than 70 students, she recalled.

The scale of the event amazed some early adopters of Mandarin. "This (competition) didn't exist when I was learning Chinese," said Frances Wood, a British sinologist and former head of Chinese collections at the British Library.

Even in the 1960s when she enrolled at Cambridge University to study Chinese, Wood recalled that the number of British universities offering Chinese language-related programs was so few that they could be counted on one hand.

Over the years, Zhang noted that alongside students studying Chinese subjects at universities, a group of enthusiasts has also emerged among contestants who, despite not majoring in Chinese, are learning the language out of personal interest.

To encourage their enthusiasm and ensure fair play, the contest has been divided into professional and non-professional categories since 2018, with a certain number of final spots reserved specifically for contestants in the non-professional category.

Yet, no matter how the competition innovates its format, it is always for serving Mandarin learners, Zhang highlighted. "And once at the venue, you can be consistently moved by the students, their families and friends recording videos to cheer them on, and their Chinese teachers assisting with the final coaching. This is the fervent atmosphere you can truly feel firsthand."

Pure passion

The journey into Mandarin learning for Chidimma Daisy Anyakora, a freshman at the University of Manchester and this year's champion, literally began with a simple crush on a boy.

"It was in 2019. I walked into the gym and saw a Chinese boy on the treadmill. I fell for him the moment I saw him," she said.

Even though the boy turned out to be just a fleeting crush, the willows planted by Anyakora unintentionally grew into a source of shade. It was this experience that sparked her love for Mandarin and Chinese culture.

On Chinese social media, Anyakora has grown into an influencer with more than 27,000 followers.

She writes as if Mandarin is her mother language. Many netizens have even suspected she might be a native Chinese pretending to be a foreigner, prompting her to post a video speaking directly to the camera to clarify herself.

Similarly, Pala did not know much about China at first.

"I've never learned Chinese in my whole life before. I have no links to China," she said. When she enrolled at Leeds, learning a new language that was different as well as difficult was her only motivation.

"But it proved to be the best choice of my life. I fell in love with China, Mandarin and Chinese culture from the first moment," she added.

While admitting that learning Chinese brings a lot of benefits in an ever more globalized and competitive society, Pala pointed out that she did not view the language as strictly functional.

"What drives me is the pure appreciation of the culture."

Common path forward

To truly understand a country and its culture, one needs to master the language, both young women emphasized.

"Language can break stereotypes and open your mind," said Anyakora, referring to media narratives that are pushed about China.

Pala echoed the sentiment. "It is easy to have opinions about something, but it might just differ from your perspectives because that is all you have been seen throughout your lives."

Engaging with a language and culture in the Far East enriches one's appreciation for the diversity of the world, Pala added.

In complex times when mutual understanding is the only way forward, bilingual and multilingual speakers play crucial roles.

"I think the contest is helping to train the next generation of people who will be able to work together, and we need more of that," said Cameron Patterson, the European champion in the 2015 Chinese Bridge competition.

Jiang Duo contributed to this story.