LONDON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The regional final of the 19th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition in Britain was held here Saturday, with 10 college students participated the first-ever virtual contest due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The contest for foreign college students was divided into four parts, including knowledge quiz about China, speech on the theme "One world, One family", artistic performances and self-made two-minute videos.

Through speeches and videos, the contestants shared their Chinese learning stories and showcased their mastery of the Chinese language and culture.

With outstanding performances, Henry Thomas Robert, a student from the the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of University of London, won the highest scores from seven online judges.

"I really wanted to participate in this competition, not only because of its prestige, but also because it gives you perhaps a better way into finding experience and you get to meet new people and new opportunities in China itself," he told Xinhua after the contest.

"And ideally, after I graduate, I want to live in China, and hopefully that will make my Chinese more fluent," said Robert, whose Chinese name is Yang Ming.

Together with three other contestants, he will represent Britian to join the "Chinese Bridge" global final later this year.

"This year, for the first time, the 'Chinese Bridge' competition is held online. Although we are gathered in the 'cloud' rather than face-to-face, our shared enthusiasm for the Chinese culture has brought us closely together just like before," said Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming in the opening remarks.

"The theme of the competition -- One World, One Family -- is particularly relevant in this special year," said the ambassador.

"The pandemic has brought us closer and made us stronger. It has also enabled us to realize that mankind is a community with a shared future, and that regardless of nationality, race, skin color or language, the world is one big family," he noted.

Sending his wishes to the participants, Medwin Hughes, vice-chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, hailed the contest a "great competition allows us today to have the opportunity to reinforce the importance of international friendship, and of the importance of global solidarity" in the current context of a global pandemic.

"It allows us all to learn, to appreciate, and to understand the core values of cultural diversity, and that we do that to rediscover the common bonds of a single family of one humanity," he added.

The "Chinese Bridge" is an annual competition aimed at arousing the enthusiasm of students in various countries to learn Chinese and strengthen the world's understanding of the Chinese language as well as culture.

Since the start of the competition in 2002, it has attracted more than 1.4 million young students from more than 150 countries around the world. Enditem