Rosebank School pupil Kira Grinton (12), of Balclutha, competed in the lower South Island heats of the 2016 Chinese Proficiency Competition at Columba College, in Dunedin, yesterday.
Prof Hong Hu, deputy director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Canterbury, said the 21 pupils in the competition were ‘‘building a bridge'' between cultures.
The pupils in the competition, which was open to those in years 7-13, were from schools in Balclutha, Dunedin and Oamaru.
The winners would compete against upper South Island winners in Christchurch on Saturday.
The South Island winners would then compete in the national finals in Auckland on May 28 for a chance to compete in the world finals in China.
More younger pupils were entering the competition than in past years, Prof Hu said.
‘‘Maybe it's because more primary schools are offering Mandarin.''
For the competition, the pupils had to complete a speech and answer a question in Chinese and then had the option of performing a Chinese-related talent show.
REPORT: SHAWN MCAVINUE/PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON
