This was taken into account by the island’s representative in this competition, Alberto Blanco, who received the honorary title of Ambassador of the Chinese language in the world here.
In statements to Prensa Latina, the man, nicknamed Xiao Bai, or “Little White Man,” mentioned the tensions he faced throughout the competition, the pressure of representing Cuba, and how happy this achievement makes him.
According to the competition, this is the best result the Caribbean island has achieved since it was first held in 2002.
“From 138 participants, they reduced it to 30, then to 15, and then there was a winner for each continent. I had to answer questions about Chinese culture and also give a speech, recite a Tang Dynasty poem, or, in short, sing things that “I don’t do that in my country,” he commented, laughing.
Blanco appreciated the experience, which allowed him to better understand the southern Guangxi Autonomous Region, where most of the competition took place.
This place is home to the largest ethnic minorities in the Asian giant, the Zhuang people, who make up 32 percent of China’s population.
“Ever since I was little, I was very attracted to the culture of this country when I had to come here for my parents’ work, which allowed me to study at schools here and learn the language, which I later perfected,” he said.
In post-pandemic China, it is the first time that students from around 120 countries will compete against each other to test their Mandarin skills.
Alberto Blanco was the winner of the national Puente Chino competition on the Caribbean island and came to the Asian giant to attend the final of the event, followed by more than 100 million foreign viewers.
“This is a very difficult competition; the other participants were very well prepared, each representing a Confucius Institute from their respective country,” he commented.
Chinese Bridge has been conducted since 2002 and, over time, has promoted an approximation of the great changes that the Asian nation has experienced since then.
