Registration is now open for the preliminary round of the 2026 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreigners across the Globe – Storytelling Contest.

The contest, hosted by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation under the Ministry of Education, consists of three stages: preliminaries, semifinals, and finals. This year, the preliminary round features a combined online and offline approach, with offline preliminary competition zones being established in seven cities, including Shanghai.

Registration details are listed below.

1. Theme: No specific theme

2. Eligibility:

- Open to Chinese language enthusiasts within China, all ages welcome.

- Contestants must be non-native Chinese speakers and non-Chinese citizens.

- Minors must obtain parental or guardian consent to participate.

- Contestants who advanced to the semifinals of previous "Chinese Bridge" Storytelling Contests are not eligible to participate.

3. Competition format:

- Contestants will share a story in Chinese, with no restrictions on the form of presentation.

- Each contestant's live performance shall not exceed three minutes.

- Judges will provide comprehensive on-site scoring.

- Each competition zone will award five direct advancement cards to the semifinals. Contestants who do not receive a direct card will be considered for online selection based on their on-site scores.

4. Registration method:

Scan the QR code for the Shanghai competition zone and complete the registration online.

- Location: Shanghai Jiao Tong University

- Registration deadline: May 5

- Rehearsal date: May 9

- Preliminaries date: May 10

Outstanding contestants in the preliminaries will be recommended by the competition organizing committee to participate in the offline semifinals and finals in early July.

Source: Official WeChat account of the Chinese Bridge (ID: "chinesebridge")