On the evening of July 21st, the 2024 “China Roots Journey” Summer Camp in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, “Longyinqinyun” Camp held a chanting competition with the theme of “Chinese Youth Reciting Chinese Classics”. The competition was organized with the theme of “Reciting Chinese Classics”. Three campers, Li Ruihan from Spain, Yan Lehang from Switzerland and Zhu Bingxuan from the Netherlands, were the hosts of the competition.

Before the start of the activity, the host introduced the judges and guests involved in this activity, and on behalf of the Chinese youth campers to the Overseas Chinese Federation of Jiangsu Province, Zhenjiang City Overseas Chinese Federation and Jiangsu University teachers to give a warm welcome and sincere thanks, the scene applauded.

The first campers to appear in the recitation competition were Yan Lehang, Song Ruxin and Zhou Zihan, who recited the Tang poem “Compassionate Farmer” with an emotional tone. They were followed by Zhang Zhixin and Dai Mingyue, who recited the poem “Silent Night Thoughts” by Li Bai, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty.

Three young campers, Wang Zihong, Tian Ruihao, and Sophie Ma, recited the Song Dynasty poet Su Shi's “Song of Water”. The youngest of the campers, Sophie Ma, also sang an adaptation of the song of the same name, “Song in the Key of Water,” with her tender voice, which won the praise of the audience.

 Zhan Hao from Spain won the first place in the competition. Accompanied by a light and melancholic background music, he recited the modern poem “Nostalgia” by Taiwanese poet Yu Guangzhong in a soft and lyrical tone. He also introduced the writing background of the poem in detail, pointed out the poet's thoughts and feelings of being in a foreign land and missing his homeland, and said that this kind of feeling of “being a stranger in a foreign land” is something that every ethnic Chinese in overseas countries can relate to.

While waiting for the final scoring results, volunteer Luo Linpeng recited Wang Guozhen's modern poem “Love of Life”, and the judge, Mr. Feng Lei, gave a wonderful Peking Opera performance, which pushed the atmosphere to a climax.

At the end of the activity, Xiao Yan, the leader of Overseas Chinese Federation of Jiangsu Province, and Zhou Du, the vice dean of the College of Arts and Letters of Jiangsu University, made comments and summarized, which drew a successful conclusion for this activity. Xiao Yan pointed out that learning Chinese classics is of great significance to Chinese youth. It can not only enhance their sense of cultural identity and national pride, but also improve their moral cultivation and thinking ability, laying a solid foundation for their overall development. We should attach great importance to and actively promote the learning of Chinese classics among young people of Chinese descent, so that the treasures of Chinese culture can bloom more brilliantly in young people.