Celebrating 20 years of SOAS success at the Chinese Bridge Competition

10 August 2022

It's been 20 years since the first SOAS student took part and won at the 1st Chinese Bridge Competition – also known as the annual Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign University Students.

Coached by Dr Cui Yan (崔燕), Connor Walsh (魏思可) was on the Advanced Modern Chinese Language Listening and Speaking course (convened and taught by Cui) in 2002, when Cui recommended he represent SOAS and the UK in the competition. Connor was the first SOAS student to represent the UK and receive an award at the Worldwide Finals in Beijing.

Since Connor's win in 2002, the following SOAS students have received awards in the Chinese Bridge Competition finals: Callisto Searle, Rosalind Holmes, Robert Easton, Lacob Nicolas Koch-Weser, Marshall Crai, Carlos Casanova Allende, Steven Jeremy Lipscombe, Stewart Edwards Johnson, Alexander Guy Odahara, James Alistair Bilbow, Maximilian Sleigh-Parrott, Owen Churchill, Anna Feodora Sophie Brunner, Joshua France, Bruno Ari Millan Narotzky, Jackson Ronnie Swinhoe, Laurence Andrew James Heyes, Samuel Peter Robbins, Gareth David Erskine and Anneka Shah.

Cui Yan said: "As early as twenty years ago, SOAS students studied and performed very well on the international stage, have been recognized in many ways and they have achieved greatly since. Congratulations!"

 

SOAS BA Chinese students in Beijing with Dr Cui Yan in front of the Former Residence of Song Qingling (Honorary Chairman of the People's Republic of China), the wife of the first president of the Republic of China, Sun Zhongshan, 2002.