A language program student from the UK on Tuesday won the top prize in a Mandarin-speaking contest organized by the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.
In the annual contest, where foreign students describe their experiences in Taiwan or share other personal viewpoints in Mandarin, Stas Butler shared with the audience his experience working with a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Greece helping Syrian refugees.
“I guess it’s quite close to my heart,” said the 24-year-old when asked why he chose the topic.
Butler won a prize of NT$20,000.
Having learned Chinese for just a year, the student from National Taiwan Normal University’s Mandarin Training Center said he is interested in different languages and cultures, and expects to start a new job in Taiwan next year.
Fifty-five contestants from 12 countries — including Japan, Pakistan, the US and Vietnam — took part in the competition.
Also showing great energy and Chinese proficiency was Vincent Fernando from the US, who finished fourth.
The 40-year-old, who attends the same language program and runs a business in Taiwan, impressed the audience with his life experience and unique perspective.
He said in the speech that he wondered why Taiwanese who he encountered often tried to speak English with him instead of speaking in Mandarin.
“People should be more proud of their origins,” Fernando said, citing ancient Chinese wisdom shown in every day life such as chopsticks.
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