Chinese Bridge contestants visit wildlife park, old towns in Kunming

Contestants of the 16th Chinese Bridge -- Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students visited the Kunming-based Yunnan Wildlife Park, as well as two traditional street districts in the city, from October 27 to 28.

At the wildlife park, Kong Laura from Uzbekistan was attracted by the lazy red foxes. "The hero in my favorite movie Zootopia is a red fox, and I love this smart animal a lot," said Kong.

South African contestant Ma Taike was impressed by the animals from his hometown, such as zebras, giraffes and rhinoceroses. “They’re commonplace animals in Africa, but they are well looked after in China."

Strolling in the wildlife park, teenagers from all over the world felt the magic Yunnan, a province known as the "animal kingdom", and they began to talk about protection of wildlife and biodiversity.

"I once rescued a baby elephant, and it still remembers me years later. I’m moved by the special emotional link with it,” said Thai contestant Shao Benwei, hoping that all life on earth could have a place to live in.

On October 28, contestants of the 16th Chinese Bridge tasted local snacks in the Guandu old town, and they also listened to pieces of Yunnan Opera in an old-street district of downtown Kunming.

"The buildings here are quite different from those in other parts of Kunming. The lovely shops are selling diverse products, and my friends and I took many photos of them," said Li Qinyao, a Chinese language learner from Argentina.

At a jewelry stall, Indian contestant Xiao Jing picked out a string of beads on which her Chinese name is carved. This bracelet bearing her name will remind her of the learning tour in Yunnan.

Reporting by Zhu Hai (YICC); Trans-editing by Wang Shixue