To cultivate high quality international students that really know and love China, deepen the understanding and knowledge of international students of the great achievement made by China in the past 40 years since its reform and opening-up and the development path of China, and build up a learning and exchange platform for international students to strengthen their affection towards China and Chinese people, the 7^th Recital Contest for International Students themed “Gain · China” is being held at South China University of Technology located in Guangzhou. The Contest is organized by the International Education School of the University. The CQU delegation has competed intensely with international student representatives from 12 universities like Tongji University, Zhejiang University, Wuhan University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Southeast University and South China University of Technology and eventually won the second prize and its final score ranks the 3^rd place.

CQU delegation members are respectively Pu Luoren, an Italian student of the School of Economics and Business Administration, Li An, a Polish student, Ao Liya, a Ukrainian student, of the School of Public Administration, and Chenshi Bixian, a Vietnamese student from the School of Journalism. The topic of their recital is Pursuing Chinese Dream and Keep Moving. The four students narrated their gains and feelings about their study at Chongqing University and expressed their love and affection towards China and Chongqing. They said that they were impressed greatly by the picturesque scenes here when they first came to China . The greatest gain of Li An is that he experienced the fantastic cultural collision between different cultures. Ao Liya got to know the extended history of China in Chinese food, and appreciated the Chinese philosophy of living and their attitude towards life. Pu Luoren fell in love with Tai Ji when he was only 14 and now he has been practicing “Tai Ji” for more than 10 years. What impressed Pu the most of Chinese language is the cadence and vividness that lie in the Chinese characters. He reunited his heart and soul in China . Chenshi Bixian, who had been pursuing her Chinese dream, was amazed by the rocket-like development of China . She did a great job in her study and made friends with her teachers and classmates. The four students showed very good teamwork and recited in a forceful and vigorous manner. In particular, the impressive Tai Ji show performed by Pu Luoren, the Italian student, was particularly commended by one of the judges, the chairman of Guangdong Writers’ Association. The ending words of their recital “We would always stay true to our original intention and keep moving and make gains in China ” won roars of applause.

Due to the short notice, the four students had only 3 weeks to get prepared. The proficiency in Chinese language of the 4 students also differs. To get the best results, they made use of every bit of time to do the rehearsal. This was the first time for them to participate in a recital contest. They tried their best to make improvement in pronunciation and emotion expression. Hard work pays off. They made drastic improvement. “We gained a lot in participating in the Contest and I hope there would be more similar events in the future,” said the Polish student Li An.

As a branded event of South China University of Technology, the Recital Contest is held annually and this year it is held for the 7^th time. The event attracts a number of versatile international students. Now it has become a popular platform for international students to tell their stories in China and spread Chinese culture. In previous years, the School also sent representatives to participate in the Contest and they won good results as well.