The 10th National Japanese Public Speaking Contest is jointly sponsored by China Education Association for International Exchange, the Association of Chinese Professors in Japan and Nikkei Keizai Shimbun. The Southwest China Preliminary was held in Chongqing University on May 16th, 2015, with 23 contestants from 23 universities in this area participating in. The judges included administrative personnel from Nikkei, and professors from the Association of Chinese professors in Japan and universities in southwest China.
The contest consisted two sessions: prepared speech and impromptu speech. In the first session, each contestant was required to make a 4-5-minute speech either on the topic “Opportunities and Challenges -- The Future of Sino-Japan Relationship” or “Merits and Demerits of Smart Phones”. The competitors’ logical reasoning, pronunciation and fluency won them recognition and applause from the audience. The second and the more challenging session continued after a short lunch break, in which each contestant gave his/her impromptu speech on a randomly picked topic with a short 10-minute preparation. The quick wit, unique thoughts and creative ideas counted more in this session, widening the score gap between the competitors.
Chen Yue, an undergraduate from the Department of Japanese, SFL, SWJTU, gave a speech on the topic “Merits and Demerits of Smart Phones”. Starting from her own experience, Chen Yue reflected the popularity of smart phones, analyzed the merits and demerits, and further proposed a solution. After fierce competition, Chen Yue won the third prize. In addition, her advisors Guo Yujie and Zeng Jian jointly earned the “Excellent Advisor” award.
Prof. Du Jin, one of the judges, made a conclusive comment: “This contest not only provides the contestants with an opportunity to show themselves, but also demonstrates the achievement jointly made by both the faculty and the students majoring in Japanese. I hope that all the contestants will make continuous efforts for the cultural exchange and friendly communication between China and Japan”.
