Christina Wong Man-yan (left), Isabelle Ho Yan-ching (center) and Charmaine Wu Sum-ching represented Hong Kong at the "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition National Grand Finals through video conferencing on Oct 6, 2021. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)
Three Hong Kong secondary students received First Prize in the "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition National Grand Finals on Wednesday.
The national final was held in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Due to quarantine restrictions, local students in Hong Kong have competed through video conferencing.
The national final was held in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Due to quarantine restrictions, local students in Hong Kong have competed through video conferencing
Charmaine Wu Sum-ching from Diocesan Girls’ School and Christina Wong Man-yan from St. Paul’s Co-educational College competed with the best in the country in the Junior Secondary Division and made it to the top 12. They delivered a prepared speech on “The promise of youth”, followed by an impromptu speech and Q&A session from the judging panel.
Wu shared her views on the role of modern Chinese youths, particularly in the 21st century. She concluded her speech with a strong statement: “The future belongs to us young people, and our hopes also rest with them. Young people of tomorrow, I am with you in upholding these promises!”
Wong began her speech with the line “you are never too young to change the world, and share the strengths of youths and their influences. “We should strive to move forward” she confidently concluded her speech.
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For the Senior Secondary Division, Isabelle Ho Yan-ching from St. Paul’s Co-educational College delivered a prepared speech on “History as a mirror”. “I believe what truly propels us to our future is history,” she said, sharing her views on how history can be likened to a mirror, and how historical legacies provide this generation with invaluable insights. Ho encouraged the audience to hold the brush with the lessons from history to paint the future of China.
The awards ceremony was held in the afternoon on the same day in Chengdu. The three finalists received First Prize at their respective divisions. Ho said she had enjoyed the competition, "I was very excited. It was a great experience, and very a good memory."