Chinese proficiency competition for college students in Turkey held in Istanbul

Ibrahim Zubeyir Agar displays his calligraphy at the 16th Chinese proficiency competition for Turkish college students in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 6, 2017. The 16th Chinese proficiency competition for college students in Turkey was held here on Saturday, with top ten winners offered a chance to visit China. [Photo/Xinhua]

ISTANBUL - The 16th Chinese proficiency competition for college students in Turkey was held on Saturday in Istanbul, producing top ten winners who were offered a chance to visit China.

Ayse Ilayda Dikbasan, a sophomore from Okan University where the competition took place, was qualified to join the finals in China with those from other countries, as she was ranked first in the contest that includes a written examination, a brief speech and a talent show.

Dikbasan sang a song composed by herself. She hopes to be a singer in the future, or a writer as she reads much. She said she would devote more efforts to Chinese learning as she likes Chinese culture and history.

The other 23 contesters all shared their dreams about China, which some said might come true through the command of the Chinese language.

Yu Hongyang, the Chinese ambassador to Turkey, laid emphasis on the importance of language learning, voicing hope for the so-called "Chinese Bridge" competition to encourage more to learn Chinese, and offering to invite the top ten winners to visit China, as his mission did last year.

Learning the Chinese language has become increasingly popular in Turkey in recent years, with many turning to the Confucius Institutes in Turkish universities and other Chinese language teaching programs.