Prize winners of the final of the 24th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in Iran pose for photos with Chinese Ambassador to Iran Cong Peiwu (2nd L) and Seyed Mahmoud-Reza Aghamiri (2nd R), president of Shahid Beheshti University, in Tehran, Iran, May 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Shadati)

TEHRAN, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The final of the 24th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in Iran was held here Wednesday, where a 20-year-old female sophomore won champion.

Themed "One World, One Family," the contest at Shahid Beheshti University, the first university in Iran to start offering Chinese language courses 30 years ago, saw a total of 16 students from four Iranian universities racing for the prize.

Competitors showed their skills through delivering keynote speeches and performing Chinese traditional arts on the stage, after taking a quiz the day before to test their knowledge of China and the Chinese language.

The event was attended by Chinese Ambassador to Iran Cong Peiwu and Seyed Mahmoud-Reza Aghamiri, president of Shahid Beheshti University, as well as university professors and students.

Cong said the competition has served as a "bridge" for promoting cultural relations and the friendship between China and the world, noting that friendly relations between China and Iran enjoy a long history and languages have always been a bridge connecting people's hearts.

Describing Shahid Beheshti University as "home" of the Chinese language in Iran, Aghamiri said the university is committed to further developing the Chinese language and culture studies.

"The Chinese Bridge competition is a new platform for Chinese and Iranian youths in the new era," Cong said, expressing hope for a better future of the cooperation between China and Iran.

Prize winners of the final of the 24th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in Iran pose for photos in Tehran, Iran, May 28, 2025. (Xinhua/Shadati)