14-year-old earns place at prestigious Chinese Bridge world finals

A 14-year-old student from Lautoka has earned a place at the global finals of one of the world’s leading Chinese language competitions after winning Fiji’s national preliminary contest.

Anabia Mumtaz, a student of Central College Lautoka, will represent Fiji at the global finals of the prestigious Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition in China after claiming the national title in the secondary school category.

“Winning the Chinese Bridge Competition was a proud moment for me, and representing Fiji on the international stage is both exciting and a great responsibility,” Mumtaz said.

“I am proud to showcase the talent and potential of Fijian students.”

Despite having no Chinese heritage, she began learning the language only 18 months ago and has since emerged as Fiji’s top secondary school Chinese language student.

She said her interest in the Chinese language, culture and history inspired her to take up the challenge.

“I wanted to challenge myself by learning a language that was very different from my own,” she said.

As she prepares to compete against students from around the world, Ms Mumtaz encouraged other young people to seize new opportunities.

“Believe in yourself, work hard and never be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. Opportunities like these can open doors to new experiences, friendships and personal growth,” she said.

Her parents, Dr Mumtaz Alam and Zeenat Imam, described the achievement as a proud and emotional moment for the family.

“We felt extremely proud, happy and grateful,” they said.

“Watching Anabia’s hard work and dedication pay off was a very emotional and rewarding moment for our family.

“We hope she continues to grow academically and personally, embraces every opportunity to learn, and serves as a positive role model for other young people in Fiji.”

The Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition Series, organised by the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation, is regarded as one of the world’s most influential Chinese language contests.

Often described as the Olympics of the Chinese language, it attracts competitors from across the globe.

Yue Wang, a Chinese language lecturer at the University of the South Pacific, said the achievement was also a milestone for the Confucius Institute at the University of the South Pacific.

“This is the first time the institute has coached a secondary school student to participate in the competition,” Ms Wang said.