Bridging the gap Between east and West.docVIP

Bridging the gap Between east and West An interview with Chinese Bridge Competition Director Wang Feng “汉语桥”在华留学生汉语大赛总导演王锋专访 HOw DID yOu COME uP wITH THE CONCEPT OF THE CHINESE bRIDgE FOREIgN STuDENTS’ LANguAgE COMPETITION The birth of the contest was no accident, but was in many ways an inevitable consequence of the growing “fever for Chinese.” As CCTV staff, we feel it’s our responsibility to promote Chinese language and culture, and the TV show is a great platform for doing that. DO STuDENTS wITH VERy LITTLE ExPERIENCE wITH CHINESE LANguAgE OR CuLTuRE EVER PARTICIPATE? wOuLD yOu ENCOuRAgE THIS We encourage everyone who is interested to participate. The purpose of the contest is partly to build awareness of Chinese culture and contemporary society. Its challenges move from an elementary to more advanced knowledge of Chinese culture, so those contestants that make it to the end emerge with a basic understanding of Chinese culture, which in turn is made available to viewers. ARE THERE ANy PAST PERFORMANCES OR PRESENTATIONS THAT REALLy STAND OuT IN yOuR MIND Our show emphasizes contestants’ability to use and synthesize the language, but the TV format obviously lends itself well to stage performance. But for me, it’s the student personalities that have really left an impression. Though the contestants’ nationalities, ethnicities and modes of thinking are all different, not to mention the depth of their understanding of Chinese culture, what never fails to impress me is that all of them are equally passionate about the subject. wHAT DO yOu THINK wHEN yOu SEE SOME OF THE AMAzINg TALENTS DISPLAyED by THE CONTESTANTS, ESPECIALLy THE ONES wHO PERFORM CHINESE ARTS I feel extremely moved. I’ve been the contest’s main director since it started, and we spend a long time planning it, so my feelings toward it run very deep. I also have deep feelings for the contestants who regularly participate. They’re obviously well versed in both the language and the culture. Some of the tale