The 2020 “Chinese Characters and Me” Speech Contest for International Students will kick off online in September and finish offline in November.

The 2019 “Chinese Characters and Me” Speech Contest for International Students (Photo/People's Daily Online)

The event is hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and organized by People’s Daily Online.

The entire competition consists of preliminary rounds, quarter-finals and finals under the theme of “harmonious coexistence.”

During the preliminary rounds, contestants will answer questions online and 30 participation award winners will enter the semi-finals, where they will make a one-minute speech video.

These short videos will be uploaded by the contest organizing committee on the People’s Daily Online website. After online voting and scoring by professional judges, 10 winners will enter the finals, which will be held offline in November.

During the finals, the candidates will deliver a seven-minute speech about their stories with Chinese characters, while showcasing their artistic talents. Final winners will be decided after scoring and assessment performed by judges.

International students in China, including ethnic Chinese who are at least third-generation immigrants, foreigners working in China whose native language and parents’ is not Chinese, and non-native Chinese speakers are eligible to take part in the contest.