Alberto Blanco, nicknamed Xiao Bai or ‘Little White’, was the winner of the Chinese Bridge contest at the national level in Cuba and now arrives in China to participate in the final of the event, followed by more than 100 million foreign viewers.

‘The contest consists of several phases: there are rounds of questions about knowledge, an artistic moment during which I will recite a poem by Li Bai, who is considered the most important romantic poet from the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), and I will also sing a song,’ he explained to Prensa Latina.

Blanco is also preparing to deliver a speech on the Belt and Road Initiative, launched by China in 2013, all in the most perfect Chinese he can manage.

‘It is a very difficult contest, the other competitors are very well prepared, each one represents a Confucius Institute from their respective countries,’ he commented.

The Chinese Brige contest has been held since 2002 and over time it has brought the country closer to the great changes China has undergone since then.

The 2023 edition will be held in the southern autonomous region of Guangxi, which is home to the largest population of ethnic minorities in China, where the Zhuang people, who make up 32 percent of the Chinese population, live.

Since its inauguration in 2002, the contest has gained followers to the extent that China’s transformations have also become evident and the world has become aware of the importance of learning about its culture and model better and better,’ the young university student, who is studying his fourth year of International Relations in Havana, told Prensa Latina. In fact, according to official statistics, more than 1,400,000 students from more than 150 countries have participated to date in the annual Chinese Bridge competition, about 4,200 of whom have reached the world finals in China.

“In my case I have felt very attracted to the culture of this country since I was a child, when I had to come to live here because of my parents’ work, which allowed me to study in schools here and learn the language that I later improved,’ Blanco said.

His desire is to improve the position achieved by Cuba in this contest in 2019, when another student was among the top 10 in the world; however, he emphasized that participating in the final is already a source of pride for him and his family.

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