Language as a Bridge — Connecting the World | The 4th UK English–Chinese Bilingual Recitation Competition Successfully Concludes in London

London, 30th November 2025
 
The 4th UK English–Chinese Bilingual Recitation Competition, jointly organised by the registered charity The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL), Capital Class, and KYX International Education, successfully concluded on 30 November 2025 at the Djam Lecture Theatre, SOAS University of London.

As a well-established bilingual education event that has already run for three successful editions, this year’s competition continued to uphold its mission of “using language as a bridge to connect the world and the heart.” The event encourages young people aged 5 to 18 to express themselves through bilingual recitation, to embrace cultural diversity, and to build confidence through the beauty of spoken language. Widely supported by communities and educational institutions across the UK, the competition has become a significant platform in the field of bilingual education for young people.

The competition consisted of four age categories: 5–7, 8–10, 11–13, and 14–18. After multiple rounds of selection, nearly 40 outstanding finalists took to the stage, each performing one piece in Chinese and one in English. Their works spanned poetry, prose, and classical literature, offering a vivid display of linguistic artistry and personal expression.

The judging panel brings together distinguished experts from the cultural and educational communities of both China and the United Kingdom, including:

·       Frances Wood – Former Curator of Chinese Collections, The British Library; renowned sinologist and author.

·       Beth McKillop – Former Deputy Director, Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A); specialist in Chinese art and museum education.

·       Dr Yukteshwar Kumar – Course Director of the Chinese Stream, University of Bath; scholar and writer.

·       Michelle Tate – Teacher Training and Professional Development Coordinator, UCL Institute of Education.

·       Dr Seth Cook – UK-based expert on environment and sustainable development; former Head of IUCN China and Operations Director for WWF’s “China for a Global Shift Initiative”; currently with the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) Asia platform.

·       Dr Biao Zeng – Lecturer, University of South Wales; former BBC columnist.

·       Li Jian – CEO of KYX International Education Group; promoter of UK-China educational exchange.

·       Bai Xianping – Chinese language education specialist with broad teaching and curriculum experience in the UK.

·       Dr Zhao Xiao – PhD in Chinese History; retired teacher and writer.

As a charity with 21 years of international philanthropic experience, The Mothers’ Bridge of Love (MBL) has long been dedicated to supporting adoptive families and cross-cultural communities. MBL has stayed true to its mission of building three bridges across the world: a bridge between birth and adoptive families, a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures, and a bridge between rich and poor through support and assistance. Empowered by KYX’s educational philosophy and Capital Class’s bilingual teaching mission, this year’s competition vividly demonstrated the meaning of these three bridges.

In a globalised era, bilingualism is not merely a skill—it is a pathway toward cultural education, international exchange, cooperation, and peace. It allows children to understand the depth of culture and history, communicate across identities and backgrounds, open possibilities for dialogue and collaboration, and foster peace through empathy and mutual respect. Bilingualism enables them to connect with the world, and enables the world to hear their voices.

The event was filled with warm and touching moments: the day opened with a minute of silence for the victims in Hong Kong, expressing shared humanity and compassion; during the competition, a contestant’s three-year-old brother, inspired by the atmosphere, ran onto the stage and spoke a sentence in Chinese, bringing laughter and applause from the entire audience; in the sharing session, two adoptees spoke candidly about their journeys of rediscovering identity and understanding “who I am,” deeply moving everyone present. At the end of the event, all judges, contestants, volunteers, and audience members recited the bilingual poem Bridge of Birth and Love, bringing the day to an emotional climax that symbolised cross-cultural understanding and love.

The first-prize winners of this year’s competition are as follows:
A Group — Fengming Tang
B Group — Jade Jonas
C Group — Tony Ke
D Group — Toby Ouyang

More than a celebration of language, this competition was a profound cross-cultural dialogue, inviting children to experience the power of language, appreciate cultural diversity, and build emotional connections between young people in China and the UK. With the support of families, schools, volunteers, and the wider community, this year’s event once again demonstrated that:

Language builds bridges, culture connects people, and courage can change the world.

MBL, KYX, and Capital Class will continue to work together to help more children discover the strength of language, the roots of culture, and their place in the world.

语言为桥，连接世界

—— 第四届英中双语朗诵演讲大赛在伦敦圆满落幕

【伦敦，2025年11月30日】
         由注册慈善组织 “母爱桥”（The Mothers’ Bridge of Love，简称 MBL），Capital Class 云都英校 ，凯谊信国际教育联袂举办的 第四届英中双语朗诵演讲大赛（The 4th UK English-Chinese Bilingual Recitation Competition） 于 2025 年 11 月 30 日（周日） 在 伦敦大学亚非学院 SOAS University of London（Djam Lecture Theatre） 圆满落幕。

         作为一项已成功举办三届、备受瞩目的双语教育盛事，本届大赛继续秉持“以语言为桥梁，连接世界与心灵”的宗旨，鼓励 5 至 18 岁的青少年通过中英双语朗诵，勇敢表达自我、传递多元文化、建立自信风采。活动多年来获得英国社会各界与教育机构的广泛支持，已成为英国青少年中英双语教育领域的重要品牌。

         本届大赛共设四个年龄组别：5–7 岁、8–10 岁、11–13 岁、14–18 岁。经过层层选拔，共有 40 名优秀选手 晋级决赛。他们将在现场分别朗诵一段中文作品与一段英文作品，体裁涵盖诗歌、散文与文学经典片段，展现语言艺术的魅力与个人风采。

         大赛评审团汇聚了中英文化与教育界的多位权威专家，包括：

·       Frances Wood（吴芳思）｜英国图书馆前中国部馆员、著名汉学家及作家。

·       Beth McKillop｜英国 V&A 博物馆前副馆长，中英艺术与博物馆教育专家。

·       Dr Yukteshwar Kumar（余德烁）｜英国巴斯大学中文课程主任，资深学者与作家。

·       Michelle Tate（敖彬雪）｜伦敦大学教育学院教师培训及专业发展协调员。

·       Dr Seth Cook｜英国环境与可持续发展研究专家，曾任 IUCN 中国项目负责人及 WWF “全球转型倡议”中国运营总监。

·       Dr Biao Zeng（曾飚）｜英国南威尔士大学 语言心理学讲师，前 BBC 专栏作家。

·       Li Jian（李健）｜凯谊信国际教育集团 CEO，中英教育交流推广者。

·       Bai Xianping（白鲜平）｜英国中文教育专家，拥有多年教学与课程研发经验。

·       Dr Zhao Xiao（赵潇）｜中国史博士，退休教师与作家。

       “母爱桥”作为拥有 21 年国际公益经验的慈善组织，长期致力于为领养家庭与跨文化群体提供支持，始终坚持搭建三座跨越世界的桥——生与养之间的桥、中西文化之间的桥，贫富资助之间的桥。本届大赛在凯谊信的教育理念与云都英校的双语教学使命加持下，更充分展现了这三座桥的意义。在全球化时代，双语不仅是一种能力，更是一条通往文化教育、交流合作与世界和平的道路，它让孩子们能够理解文化与历史的深度，跨越身份与背景进行交流，建立对话与合作的可能，并在尊重与共情中促成和平。双语让他们有能力与世界相连，也让世界能够听见他们的声音。

        当天活动也充满温暖瞬间：大会以一分钟默哀悼念香港遇难者，传递出共同的人性关怀；比赛期间，一位选手三岁的弟弟在现场氛围感染下跑上台，用中文说了一句话，全场爆发出温暖的笑声与掌声；两位被领养的青少年在分享环节真诚讲述了自己找回身份、重新理解“我是谁”的旅程，他们的勇气深深打动了每一位在场者。活动尾声，所有评委、参赛者、志愿者与观众齐声朗诵中英文诗歌《生养之桥》，将现场推向高潮，象征着跨越文化的理解与爱。

          本届大赛一等奖获奖名单如下：A 组——唐凤鸣，B 组——Jade Jonas，C 组——柯金纬，D 组——欧阳超顺。

         本次大赛不仅是语言的盛会，更是一场跨文化的深度对话，旨在让孩子们在朗诵中感受语言的力量，理解文化的多元，促进中英青少年之间的心灵沟通。在家庭、学校、志愿者与社区的共同支持下，本届大赛再次证明： 语言能够搭桥，文化能够连接，勇气能够改变世界。 母爱桥、凯谊信与云都英校将继续携手，让更多孩子找到语言的力量、文化的根与世界的方向。