CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENT WINS CHINESE BRIDGE COMPETITION

By Lucy KOPANA

A third year Civil Engineering student at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) became this years champion of the Chinese Bridge Competition, hosted by the Confucius Institute (CI) in Lae.

Johnathan Wantepe competed against six other peers who are all registered students at PNGUoT, and are taking up Chinese classes at CI. The seven participants were tested on their knowledge of basic Chinese writings, symbolism, and culture in front of an audience at the Duncanson Hall.
Wantepe said he was not expecting to be the winner, however he is looking forward to the opportunities that will come from this engagement. While taking up Chinese Classes at the University is not compulsory, Mr Wantepe said as a civil engineering student, he is mindful of the opportunities that this could provide in line with his field of study. He said there are many Chinese contractors now working on road projects in the country, and he wants to be able to communicate better with them when he starts working.
“There are more Chinese contractors in the field… If I apply for something, my Chinese language paper will have more weight.”

Mr. Wantepe is one of more than 500 students who have taken up Chinese classes since the Confucius Institute was established at the PNGUoT Campus in 2021.

CI’s are established all over the world, and are funded by the Chinese Government in the efforts to promote a deeper understanding of the Chinese language and culture globally. The institute is named after an ancient Chinese philosopher and educator – Confucius, who had a love for learning, and studied music, mathematics, history and other studies.

The Chinese Bridge Competition is conducted in all countries where there are CI’s established, to test the foreign students proficiency in the Chinese language, general knowledge, and culture.

Mr. Wantepe will be representing the country in the international competition in Beijing, China later this year.