A Mandarin Debate Competition was held at Ma Man Kei and Lo Pak Sam College (MLC) in the evenings of 4th November and 11th November. Five enthusiastic teams representing their floors fought fiercely in the preliminary competition for two places in the final competition night. The event was chaired by Liu Yuhan and hosted by Zhang Dingyang.
Each team played two matches in the preliminary round and the winners were decided by their numbers of games won. The preliminary competition, covering various social aspects, was thought provoking to the students. The topics debated include:
· Does the internet bring people closer or drive them further apart?
· Is distance an obstacle in a romantic relationship?
· Are good teammates or good opponents more beneficial to personal development?
· Whom to choose: the one who loves you or the one you love?
· Is advocating buying locally produced goods beneficial or detrimental to economic development?
In his opening speech, Prof. Xu Jie, Interim Dean of Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Interim Director of Confucius Institute and Head of the Chinese Department pointed out the importance of language and emphasised the role of debate in promoting language and critical thinking skills. The topic of the debate in the final competition was ‘What is more important, EQ or IQ?’. Both teams exhibited great rhetorical skills. The competition was a captivating experience for the speakers as well as the audience. In the judges' comment session, both Prof. Zhu Shoutong and Prof. Chen Zhong agreed that the debaters’ performance was fascinating. Dr. Liu Jingjing professionally dissected the arguments and provided detailed comments to the debaters.
Lists of winners:
1st prize team: He Weining, Hou Junyu, Cheng Ke and Guo Baohong;
2nd prize team: Chong Sio Un, Chu Ka Wai, Vu Chon In and Choi Hon Chun;
3rd prize team: Zhang Wentao, Liang Yaying, Huang Keche and Chen Xinyu;
Best Debaters Award: Choi Hon Chun and He Weining;
Popularity Award: Choi Hon Chun (voted by the live audience at the final competition).
Owing to the pandemic, the debaters wore masks throughout the competition and the matches were broadcasted online to accommodate students’ participation.
The panel of judges of the preliminary competition included Prof. Huang Haiquan, Hubei University of Technology; Prof. Cao Daogen, Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics; Dr. Liang Qingning, Associate Master of MLC; Prof. Vénus Viana, Resident Fellow of MLC; Zheng Junjie, former captain of the UM Mandarin Debate Team; and Li Ruipeng, a member of the UM Mandarin Debate Team.
The College was delighted to have Prof. Xu Jie joining the final competition as an honorable guest. The judging panel of the final competition included Prof. Katrine Wong, Interim College Master of MLC, Director of Center for Teaching and Learning Enhancement; Prof. Zhu Shoutong, Director of Research Centre for Humanities in South China, Director of Centre for Chinese History and Culture; Prof. Chen Zhong, Deputy Director of Confucius Institute; Dr. Liu Jingjing, Associate Master of Shiu Pong College; and Dr. Liang Qingning, Associate Master of MLC.
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