Exclusive interview with Deng Zhefei, the winner of the Southwest Division of the 2013 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Skills Competition

Exclusive interview with Deng Zhefei, the winner of the Southwest Division of the 2013 "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Skills Competition On May 4, 2013 local time, the annual&#8221…

On May 4, 2013 local time, the annual "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Skills Competition kicked off in Los Angeles. As the “Chinese craze” continues to heat up, Chinese proficiency competitions are attracting more and more attention. Jonny Dangerfield, a student from Arizona State University, successfully won the competition with his outstanding and stable performance and obvious advantages. After the game, classmate Deng Zhefei accepted our interview: (Note: reporter; Deng: Deng Zhefei)

Note: Please briefly introduce yourself to us. Deng: Hello everyone, my name is Deng Zhefei. I am currently a senior and a Chinese major/ASU Chinese Flagship student at Arizona State University (ASU for short, the same below). I am 24 years old this year.

Note: Tell us about your major and your experience studying abroad in mainland China and Taiwan.

Deng: When I first arrived at ASU, my major was political science. Later I changed my major to English Linguistics. However, after I changed my major, I discovered that ASU also majored in Chinese. I was very curious, so I tried to take a Chinese class. Although I only took a semester, this semester was enough for me to realize what my interests were. I decisively changed my major to Chinese. Since then, I have been "painful and happy" on the road of learning Chinese. It can be said that this experience is really enjoyable! I once went to Sichuan and Taiwan to study abroad. There, I met many "noble people" I had never seen before, tasted "mountain delicacies" I had never tasted, and learned unprecedented skills.

> Note: What goals do you have for your future career?

Deng: As for my future plans, I want to engage in work related to the Chinese language. As for what I will do, I haven’t decided yet. However, recently, I decided that I will continue to go to school and study acting in China. I hope to work in TV, movies or stage performances in China in the future.

Note: What makes you so motivated to learn Chinese?

Deng: It’s a long story. There are many factors that motivate me. But the motivation factor that I had when I first started learning Chinese no longer seems so important. I still remember that when I first started learning Chinese a few years ago, Chinese was full of challenges and charm for me, just like when we were children, we always wanted to dig a hole, digging deeper and deeper until we wanted to dig to the end of the hole and see another world on the other side. Children are always full of curiosity and mystery about these unknown things. And Chinese is that mysterious hole for children. Everyone wants to keep digging to see who can see the other side of the world. These were just my feelings when I first started learning Chinese. Later I found that these motivational factors would gradually fade away as time goes by. Now, my biggest motivation for learning Chinese is to truly experience China and its people. My personal contact with Chinese people in China and Arizona made me eager to improve my Chinese language skills. And the more important factor is that on the 18th of this month, I will get married to a girl from Hubei! When I meet my father-in-law and mother-in-law in the future, I have to communicate with them and understand them. This is also a very important and indispensable reason for me to learn Chinese.

Note: What was your Chinese talent show during the competition? Why did you choose this to perform?

Deng: What I performed was a stand-up comedy piece that I created myself. The highlight in the middle was a traditional cross-talk joke called "Reporting the Name of the Dish." I have been interested in cross talk for a long time, and I have always wanted to practice this cross talk well and perform it for everyone. Combining humorous performances and language skills gave me the idea of ​​performing cross talk, especially "Report the Name of the Dish". I still remember that it was really a big challenge for me to recite "Report the Name of the Dish", but I was very happy during the whole process, and I was even more excited during the performance!

> Note: What is your most unforgettable experience in participating in the Chinese language competition?

Deng: For me, the most impressive thing about participating in the Chinese Bridge Competition was the days before the competition when my teachers and friends helped me prepare. During that time, I also got to know my teachers and friends better. Of course, the competition on May 4th left a particularly deep impression on me because I was fortunate enough to meet some important people during the competition, including staff from the Confucius Institute at UCLA and officials from the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. After the game, we chatted together and shared interesting things. It was also a very happy and sweet experience.

(Third from left) Deng Zhefei (Jonny) and Consul Chen Zhunmin of the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles (second from left) Susan Pertel Jian, the American director of the Confucius Institute at UCLA, took a group photo with officials from the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles

Conclusion: Deng Zhefei (Jonny) is a rare student in Chinese learning. No matter how hard you work, you will gain. Through his own efforts and passion for Chinese, in just a few years, he was able to interpret Chinese so authentically that it is astonishing. His talents in cross talk performances have made everyone full of expectations for his future development in China.