WHEN THE host of the Knowledge on CHINA Contest asked what the Chinese counterpart of Google was, Eldridge Tan immediately hit the buzzer and confidently said “Baidu.”
A modified version of last year’s Amazing CHINA Trivia Competition, the Knowledge on CHINA Contest was all about the country’s history and culture. The contest, sponsored by the Confucius Institute (CI), was open to all students.
Game time. Contestants during the Knowledge on CHINA Contest test their skill on the culture against each other. | Photo by Joseph S. Angan
CI Associate Director Shitao Zhang said that the contest aimed to promote the study of the Chinese language and culture to Ateneans, and possibly other students in the country.
On January 29 at the Escaler Hall, five students tried to outwit each other for the grand prize of 5000 PhP. Tan won second place.
CI aims to promote knowledge on China through Mandarin classes and seminars discussing contemporary China. It is hosted by the Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies.
Advocating Chinese
CI Coordinator Gelaine Chua said that the contest was a culmination of the partnership between Ateneo and the CI, stressing that both educational institutions recognize the importance of knowing more about the rising economic power today.
According to her, the contest was an illustration of CI’s goal to impart knowledge on China. “Thankfully, Ateneo is a wonderful partner who understands the importance of [promoting the] Chinese language and culture among [its] students,” she said.
Tan said that Chinese language, gaining influence around the world, “will give a competitive edge.”
Chua agreed with Tan saying that most Filipino and Filipino-Chinese who enroll in CI’s Mandarin classes do so mainly for employment. “They want to learn Chinese because they want to go abroad and work,” she said.
She added that some Philippine-based companies also require their employees to know Mandarin to help them deal with business partners abroad.
“I’ve learned from experience that by knowing Mandarin and Chinese culture, you are offered better job opportunities. It [provided] a viable edge, as my peers and employers called it, because in recent times, the need for bilingual employees [has] drastically increased,” Chua said.
“Western culture is very influential these days, so it wouldn’t hurt to remind ourselves of our own eastern backgrounds,” said first place winner Yvette Chan.
For Tan, Chinese culture is deeply connected with Filipinos that having a trivia contest is a good way of acknowledging that connection.
Before going into the finals, the five students bested 50 others at a written preliminary round on January 25.
Chan did not expect to win, but later on left the contest proper five thousand pesos richer while second placer Tan, earning three thousand pesos, felt relieved after the contest. He said that all the memorizing and studying finally paid off. Third placer Mariel Dee brought home two thousand pesos.
Part-time lecturers Aurora Roxas-Lim and Francisco Navarro, as well as instructor Clark Lim Alejandrino judged the finals.
