Contestants in 24th "Chinese Bridge" global finals keen on exploring China

Global finals in the 24th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for university students officially commenced on Sunday in Nanping City, east China's Fujian Province.

A total of 155 contestants from 133 countries and regions are participating in this 20-day competition.

After the launching ceremony, the contestants gathered in front of the city's Kuiwen Pavilion to complete the first written test of the event. The questions covered a wide range of subjects, including traditional Chinese culture, history, geography, economics and technology.

During the global finals, contestants will visit Chinese cities including Beijing, Quanzhou and Fuzhou to experience traditional Chinese culture and visit cutting-edge innovations in smart manufacturing.

"This is my first time in China -- first Beijing, then flying to Fujian. I want to try the tea here and see the beautiful scenery, the big mountains," said an Iranian contestant.

Others plan to stay for a longer term. A British contestant has received a postgraduate admission offer from a major university in south China's Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.

"I'm starting my master's degree in Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University in September. I'm very interested in Wuyishan City because it's a tourist destination," he said.

Aura, an Egyptian contestant, said she was particularly curious about the country's diverse cuisine.

"I think it's very beautiful. I hope to experience Chinese culture and history firsthand, and I'm looking forward to tasting delicious food," she said.

The "Chinese Bridge" language competition series, organized by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of China's Ministry of Education, is a major international Chinese proficiency contest.

Since its launch in 2002, it has attracted over 1.7 million young participants from more than 160 countries and regions in overseas preliminaries, with over 7,000 international students coming to China for the global finals. Each year, hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide tune in to watch the competition.

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 20 pips to 7.0108 against the U.S. dollar Monday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

In China's spot foreign exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 percent from the central parity rate each trading day.

The central parity rate of the yuan against the U.S. dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day.