10 Feb 2012

Talented students from schools across the country will show off their linguistic skills in the grand final of the HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition. After two regional heats, the final 90 students will compete at the British Museum on Friday 10 February to win the trip of a lifetime to China.

The competition supports and promotes the teaching of Mandarin Chinese as a modern foreign language in UK schools - and is the only national event of its kind in the UK. With China overtaking Japan last year to become the world's second largest economy, Mandarin is becoming more and more important. When today's students enter employment, they will need to be able to compete in a world where links with China are essential.

The competition is now in its ninth year. Regional heats were held in London and Newcastle, with only the best making it through to the final. The youngsters come from 25 secondary schools across the country - from Brighton to the Isle of Man and Glasgow.

They will compete in either the Individual Language Ability or Group Performance section. In the Individual section, contestants give a short presentation in Mandarin, translate sentences from English into Mandarin and are tested on their knowledge of China and Chinese culture. In the Group Performance section, groups of between four and six students perform a piece of drama in Chinese - involving imaginative performances and costumes. The judging panel will be made up of native and non-native speakers of Mandarin, from a variety of backgrounds.

As part of their prize this Easter, the ten winners will scale China's Great Wall, explore Beijing's Forbidden City, and enjoy cultural activities with Chinese students at local schools.

Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council and fluent Chinese speaker, said: "Having a good knowledge of Mandarin Chinese has never been so important. With China recently becoming the world's second biggest economy, our children need to understand China in all its facets if we are to be successful in working together, whether in business or in other ways in the future. This competition rewards students who make the effort to master the Mandarin language, and it is one of many ways in which the British Council is helping children in the UK to prepare for life in a global society and work in a global economy."

Simon Martin, Head of Group Corporate Sustainability at HSBC said "To understand a culture it is important to learn the language. HSBC is delighted to be able to support this competition - helping young people to showcase their Mandarin skills as part of encouraging Chinese knowledge and cultural understanding. HSBC has a long heritage in China - a country that is increasingly setting the pace for international business and technology.

The competition has been organised by the British Council - which builds relationships for the UK through English, education and the arts, and already links around 43,000 pupils and teachers in the UK and China. It is supported by the HSBC Global Education Programme - which focuses on international understanding, disadvantaged children, financial literacy, and environmental education.

For more information about the competition or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Mark Moulding (British Council Press Office)
020 7389 4889
mark.moulding@britishcouncil.org

Notes to editors:
The media are invited to attend the event at the British Museum - which runs from 10am to 5pm on Friday 10 February 2012. Please contact Mark Moulding for accreditation. The British Council can also provide interviewees to talk about the competition and the economic and cultural importance of learning Mandarin.

The schools in the final are:
Brighton College, Brighton; Calday Grange Grammar, Wirral; Dartford Grammar, Dartford; Dean Close School, Cheltenham; George Heriot's School, Edinburgh; Grange Academy, Kilmarnock; Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College, London; Heathfield School, Pinner; Hillhead High School, Glasgow; Kingsford Community School, London; Leith Academy, Edinburgh; Lincoln Christ's Hospital School, Lincoln; Loreto Grammar, Altrincham; Madras College, St Andrews; Malvern College, Malvern; New Hall School, Chelmsford; Our Lady's Convent High School, London; Queen Mary's Grammar, Walsall; Reading School, Reading; Royal Masonic School for Girls, Rickmansworth; St Ninian's High School, Isle of Man; St Paul's Girls' School, London; The Queen's School, Chester; Wellington College, Crowthorne; Wycombe Abbey School, High Wycombe.

The British Council is the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100 countries in the arts, education and English and in 2010/11 we engaged face to face with 30 million people and reached 578 million. We have 6,800 staff worldwide. Our total turnover in 2010/11 was £693 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was £190 million. The remainder was generated through trading activities such as English language teaching. For every £1 of taxpayer money invested we earn £2.65 in additional income. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org