Simon Oliver Griffiths delivers a speech at the 24th "Chinese Bridge" UK finals.

Simon Oliver Griffiths, a student from the Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU)-Liverpool University Confucius Institute, claimed the championship at the UK finals of the 24th "Chinese Bridge" World University Chinese Proficiency Competition with an outstanding performance. This marks the institute's highest achievement in the competition's history.

In his speech titled "My Chinese Journey: A Prescription for Civilizational Loneliness", Simon delivered a fluent and accent-standard narrative about his spiritual growth through learning Chinese. During the talent segment, he captivated the audience with a witty Chinese stand-up comedy routine, recounting anecdotes about his preparation. He will represent the UK in the "Chinese Bridge" global finals.

XJTU's dispatched teacher, Liu Ying, and volunteer teacher, Chen Sen, received the "Best Instructor" awards. The Institute provided Simon with a tailored intensive training program, offering systematic coaching in linguistic expression and cultural comprehension.

Zhou Weixian, education counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, praised Simon's performance: "He exemplifies British youth's excellence in Chinese learning. We anticipate his further success at the global finals as a cultural ambassador."

Since its 2002 inception, this Chinese proficiency competition has attracted 1.21 million university students from 147 countries, making it a key international platform for showcasing mastery of the Chinese language.