Raising their voices

Teamed with Yang was the national champion of the China Daily 21st Century Cup National English Speaking Competition's senior high school group, Wang Licheng of Shanghai Foreign Language School that is affiliated to Shanghai International Studies University. He used the international platform to tell stories that relate to the uniqueness of Chinese culture.

In a cultural exchange session, he told participants about his name.

"In China, the family name is put before the given name, which shows our attachment to family.… Behind the second character of my name, li, is a story from Chinese Taoism that embodies the philosophy of 'the usefulness of uselessness'.

"The Chinese equivalent of the word 'everyone' is dajia, which, semantically, means big family. This builds up the traditional Chinese concept of tianxia, that the world is a big family, which is different from that in the West."

Wang's primer on Chinese language hit the mark with his audience, many of whom wanted more details on how Chinese characters are formed.

"Chinese characters, cuisine culture, finger counting－they seem habitual to us, but can be great topics to open a conversation or for cultural exchange, and to demonstrate the uniqueness of our history and culture," Wang says. "So why not make good use of them to catch their interest?

"It was a great opportunity for me to see the world and to express myself. As Chinese Gen Zers (people born in the late 1990s or the early 21st century) born in the age of globalization, by knowing ourselves and empathizing with others, we can be good contributors to the rejuvenation of our civilization and the prosperity of the world."