Pure passion

The journey into Mandarin learning for Chidimma Daisy Anyakora, a freshman at the University of Manchester and this year's champion, literally began with a simple crush on a boy.

"It was in 2019. I walked into the gym and saw a Chinese boy on the treadmill. I fell for him the moment I saw him," she said.

Even though the boy turned out to be just a fleeting crush, the willows planted by Anyakora unintentionally grew into a source of shade. It was this experience that sparked her love for Mandarin and Chinese culture.

On Chinese social media, Anyakora has grown into an influencer with more than 27,000 followers.

She writes as if Mandarin is her mother language. Many netizens have even suspected she might be a native Chinese pretending to be a foreigner, prompting her to post a video speaking directly to the camera to clarify herself.

Similarly, Pala did not know much about China at first.

"I've never learned Chinese in my whole life before. I have no links to China," she said. When she enrolled at Leeds, learning a new language that was different as well as difficult was her only motivation.

"But it proved to be the best choice of my life. I fell in love with China, Mandarin and Chinese culture from the first moment," she added.

While admitting that learning Chinese brings a lot of benefits in an ever more globalized and competitive society, Pala pointed out that she did not view the language as strictly functional.

"What drives me is the pure appreciation of the culture."