From October 15 and 16, 2017, the 2017 National Collegiate Russian Language Competition was staged at Dalian Foreign Studies University, attracting 352 contestants from 138 colleges and universities nationwide.

Over the two days of intense contests, the Xiamen University team, headed by Russian teacher Ирина Нестеренко, turned in an impressive performance. Ma Quanzheng, a second-year undergraduate, won the second prize in the freshmen and sophomores group, while Yu Jionghui, a first-year master’s student, took home the third prize.

The competition consisted of three parts: the preliminary round, the second round, and the final match. The preliminary round took place in the form of written tests covering vocabulary, grammar and Russia knowledge. Twenty-two freshmen and sophomores, nineteen juniors and seniors, and ten master’s students advanced to the second round in their respective categories.

In the second round, contestants were required to make a speech on a given topic and give a presentation. Eight freshmen and sophomores, seven juniors and seniors, and four master’s students advanced to the finals in their respective categories. The finals tested the students’ skills in translating between Chinese and Russian.

The judges were very impressed by the quality of speeches and translations. The contestants displayed poise, wit, and command of the facts in their speeches.