24th "Chinese Bridge" language competition Brazilian finals conclude in Rio

The 24th Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in Brazil and the 18th edition for middle school students was held in Rio de Janeiro from Saturday to Sunday, selecting the country's champions to represent the country at the global finals to be held in Beijing later this year.

Co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Brazil and organized by the Confucius Institute at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, the event brought together students and teachers from Confucius Institutes and Chinese Bridge clubs nationwide.

Over two days at the Pontifical Catholic University campus, 25 college students and 11 high school student contestants showcased linguistic mastery through Chinese calligraphy and recitations of ancient Chinese poetry.

Chinese Consul General in Rio Tian Min addressed the competition's opening ceremony on Saturday, stressing that enthusiasm for Chinese learning has surged in Brazil in recent years, with education in the language developing systematically and diversely, she noted.

Henrique Santana, a high school student from COTUCA -- affiliated secondary school of the Confucius Institute at the State University of Campinas, and Rodrigo Lerner Gutterres, a college student from the Confucius Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, won first place in the high school group and college student group respectively following an intense competition.

Santana, who began learning Chinese in 2023 but is already a two-time contestant, expressed confidence in representing Brazil and determination to improve his language skills.

"I think if you study hard to learn Chinese, you can discover many things. China is a great, beautiful country. I want to go to China. I should be the one representing Brazil (in the Chinese Bridge finals). So I need to study Chinese hard," he said.

Gutterres, who speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese, said that he hopes to meet more friends who are as passionate about the Chinese language as he is.

"I'm very looking forward to meeting them, we can communicate with each other, share our stories and our own ways of learning the Chinese language," Gutterres said.

Brazil, home to 13 Confucius Institutes, has seen its registered Chinese learners exceed 10,000 for three consecutive years -- the highest in Latin America -- reflecting deepening cultural ties between the two nations.

The Chinese Bridge contest is an international student competition organized by Confucius Institutes around the world and tests participants' mastery of the Chinese language and culture.

24th "Chinese Bridge" language competition Brazilian finals conclude in Rio

24th "Chinese Bridge" language competition Brazilian finals conclude in Rio

A total of 53 new unicorn companies emerged in China in 2024, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the global total, according to a report on the development of global unicorns.

"Unicorn enterprises" generally refer to unlisted companies that have been established for no more than 10 years, have a valuation of more than 1 billion U.S. dollars, and possess unique core technologies, unique competitive advantages and market potential.

The report, recently released by the Greatwall Strategy Consultants, shows that by the end of 2024, there were 1,212 unicorns globally, of which Chinese companies accounted for around 30 percent to reach about 370. Among the unicorns newly established in 2024, there were four super unicorns with a valuation of over 10 billion U.S. dollars, of which three are Chinese companies.

"The key racing tracks for these unicorns are artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, intelligent networking, new energy vehicles, and life sciences. Unicorns in cutting-edge technology fields account for more than two-thirds," said Wu Wensheng, chairman of Greatwall Strategy Consultants.

In recent years, China has continued to improve its sci-tech innovation ecosystem, and various regions have introduced relevant support policies to fully unleash the innovative vitality of high-tech enterprises.

"These industries are highly consistent with national strategies, focusing on independent research and development of core technologies. With the dual-drive characteristics of technology-intensive and capital-intensive, they rely on continuous investment in research and large-scale production capacity, and high entry barriers to the industries. At the same time, the super-large-scale market provides a broad application scenario for technology iteration," said Zhao Lingyi, a senior analyst of CCID Consulting unicorn enterprise research center.

Galactic Energy, which was established seven years ago in Beijing, is currently the only private company in China that can launch rockets from land and sea. It has sent 81 satellites into orbit, and has signed orders which have been scheduled to deliver in 2026. The person in charge said the company has raised nearly 5 billion yuan (about 696 million US dollars) in financing and its valuation has reached 16 billion yuan (about 2.2 billion US dollars).

"China began to encourage the development of commercial aerospace in 2014, and since then more and more entrepreneurs have entered this field. With the strong support of the country and the booming market, the industry has developed increasingly faster," said Meng Xianbo, chief government affairs officer of the company.

Chinese unicorn enterprises flourish in 2024: report