The Bulgarian national qualification contest of the 20th "Chinese Bridge", a major international Chinese proficiency competition for foreign university students, was held here on Sunday.

The event, organized by the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria and the Confucius Institute in Sofia, was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with seven students from three universities participating.

Radina Yanuzova, a 23-year-old student from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", won the competition with 95.71 points out of 100. She will represent Bulgaria at the finals in China.

"I think that the 'Chinese Bridge' Competition not only provides a platform for learners of Chinese language in Bulgaria to show their Chinese proficiency, but also creates opportunities for the Chinese people to learn about Bulgaria," Prof. Liu Xiuming, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, said in his closing remarks.

The Chinese language learning program in Bulgaria was launched in 1953. Last year, the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria officially introduced curricula for teaching the Chinese language in schools. Many universities, including Sofia University, also have specialties related to the Chinese language and China.

The "Chinese Bridge" competition is organized annually to inspire foreign students to learn Chinese and enhance their understanding of the Chinese culture.