University students put their smarts to the test in speech competition

The University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Zhejiang University of Technology and Donghua University were the big winners at a speech competition about China’s history and modern development over the weekend.

The event was the second of its kind in the Yangtze River Delta region where university students told stories about China from the perspective of their majors, featuring 13 teams from eight universities.

This year, teachers teamed up with their students for the first time. To prepare for the competition, they selected topics, collected materials and crafted their presentations together.

The University of Shanghai for Science and Technology's team told the story of mankind's pursuit of green energy and the development of the nuclear industry in China. Team members quoted a children’s song famous in China – “Plant Suns.” The song begins with the words “I have a beautiful dream that I can plant suns when I grow up.” They said the dream was realized when China’s artificial sun – the HL-2M tokamak nuclear fusion machine – was switched on for the first time recently.

Teams from other universities talked about issues including health care, the younger generation’s contribution to poverty relief, innovation and airplane manufacturing in China.

Their speeches were also livestreamed and viewed by more than 20,000 people.

"We have been trying to innovate education models for students," said Wu Jianyong, Party secretary of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. "The competition makes students protagonists in learning about our country and its people, and enables them to engage in their own development in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation while making contributions to the country's development.”

Li Xinze, a student from the Shanghai University of Engineering Science, said the competition was unforgettable.

“Peers from different backgrounds told stories about China’s development in their specialized areas, and expressed their best wishes for the future of our home country,” Li said. “I hope our speeches are heard by more people and plant seeds of the Chinese dream in their hearts.”

The winners will deliver speeches to primary school students to help them learn more about the country.