Jason Wong Tsz-chun (Year 2, MBChB) finished as first runner-up in the “21st Century Cup” national English-speaking competition, a prestigious contest on the mainland, after competing against some 80 top talents across the country.

Jason, champion of the CUHK English Speaking Competition organised by the English Language Teaching Unit in April, first won the Hong Kong regional round of the nationwide contest in July to qualify as the city’s representative for the semi-final and final held in Taicang, Jiangsu province in October. Initiated by China Daily and recognised as a national-level Category A competition on an academic discipline, the “21st Century Cup” draws over two million participants from across the country every year.

Jason battled through the three-day long competition, in which he spoke about the themes set by the organiser, “my interpretation of civilisation” and “building bridges, igniting futures” (video here), as well as delivering impromptu speeches and taking questions from the judges. He came second to a student from Peking University.

Students interested in English public speaking are encouraged to look out for the opportunity to participate in the University’s own competition, which is held in Term 2 every year. Winners will receive training and sponsorship to represent CUHK to compete at the regional and national rounds of the nationwide contest. For details, please refer to the ELTU homepage.