A student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Faith Emmanuel, has won the Global Third Prize at the 25th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition in China.
Emmanuel, whose Chinese name is Lu Xingyao, is a participant of the Confucius Institute at UNIZIK.
She competed against 157 contestants from 138 countries in the global contest held in Xiamen, Fujian Province.
The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria described Emmanuel as an “outstanding Nigerian youth” in a congratulatory message on Facebook.
“Faith Mba Emmanuel (Chinese name: Lu Xingyao), a student of the Confucius Institute at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), who stood out among 157 contestants from 138 countries to win the Global Third Prize,” the embassy said.
What makes her achievement remarkable is that she began learning Chinese from scratch in March 2025.
According to UNIZIK, many contestants had studied Chinese for five or six years.
The longest-serving participant had studied the language for as many as 15 years.
Some had also studied or lived in China for extended periods.
Despite having less than one-and-a-half years of experience, Emmanuel progressed through successive rounds to secure a place among the Global Top 30.
She eventually won the Global Third Prize.
She became the 12th contestant from the UNIZIK Confucius Institute to reach the “Chinese Bridge” Global Top 30 since 2018.
Qin Fangfang of the Confucius Institute described her achievement as a reflection of the determination of Nigerian youths.
“Faith Mba Emmanuel’s journey is not only a story of courage, perseverance and diligence, but also a vivid reflection of the determination of Nigerian youth to pursue their dreams and embrace challenges,” Qin said.
Since 2018, contestants from the institute have won three African championships, four Global First Prizes and four Global Third Prizes.
The Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute, Prof Yu Zhangbao, expressed confidence in Emmanuel’s performance as she progressed.
“We look forward to seeing Faith maintain her excellent form, advance even further in the upcoming rounds, and achieve greater success,” he said.
He said her participation would help showcase the talent, confidence and determination of Nigerian youth on the global stage.
The Chinese Embassy also congratulated UNIZIK and its Confucius Institute team.
Digital Operations Manager at The Students Forum Nigeria.
