A world of connections

Though neither Jiang nor Chen made it to the grand finale, both found something far more valuable than a ranking: a broadened perspective on the world.

"This wasn't just an English competition — it gave me a chance to see life through the eyes of young people from different cultures," said Chen.

He was particularly impressed by the Country Presentation segment, where participants shared stories about their nations.

For his presentation, Chen chose four animal-themed Chinese cultural relics: an eagle-shaped pottery ding (a holding vessel), a bronze rhino-shaped zun (a wine vessel), a tiger-shaped tally, and a dragon pillar.

To help the audience better understand these artifacts, Chen prepared magnets featuring designs of the relics as gifts for each contestant.

One of these gifts led to a meaningful connection with a girl from Mauritius.

"We bonded over extinct species — the dodo birds from Mauritius and China's long-lost wild rhinos, with the zun serving as evidence that these animals once lived in China more than 2,000 years ago," Chen said, adding that he gifted her the magnet featuring the bronze rhino-shaped zun.

"Even though we come from different countries and speak different languages, in that moment, I found common ground between us," he said.

During the same segment, Jiang introduced a Chinese flower-and-bird painting by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

"When traditional Chinese painting comes to mind, many young people from other countries might see it as abstract, but this painting is deeply grounded in reality," Jiang explained. "It's not only because of its depiction of nature, but because in 2016, a scholar discovered that the pheasant in the painting was a hybrid, confirming the species existed more than 900 years ago."

Jiang also shared the cultural significance of five iconic plants in China — plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and lotus. She hand-painted 20 bookmarks featuring these flowers and wrote her Chinese name, Xinyu, on the back in Chinese characters.

Jiang recalled that she initially introduced herself by her English name, as her Chinese name was difficult for English speakers to pronounce. However, after the presentation, many contestants approached her and asked, "How do you say your name in your mother tongue? What does it mean?"

"The next time we met, they all tried calling me by my Chinese name first," Jiang said. "When people from different cultures make the effort to understand you personally, they often develop a genuine interest in your background too. That's when true heart-to-heart communication starts."

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