From our first days as a tertiary institution, SUSTech has encouraged students to take part in a wide variety of extracurricular activities, and the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP) Cup is just one example of this. SUSTech students have actively participated in this competition since the University’s inception, and this year saw a continuation of the excellence among the cohort of debaters at SUSTech.

From March 23rd to 25th, students from across southern China flocked to South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou for the South China Finals of the 21st FLTRP Cup, the National University English Language Debate Competition. Wang Jiuzhou and Zhao Yanchu represented SUSTech with aplomb, finished runner-up in the competition and are qualified for the National Finals in May. Liu Lisha, from the Center for Language Education, was invited to serve as judge and received a Best Judge Award. She also coached the students to help them prepare for the tournament.

At the South China Finals, 103 teams from 98 universities  debated fiercely to qualify for the National finals. Teams from Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, Hubei, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Hunan, Yunnan and Hainan engaged in fierce competitions. Qualified teams will be joining Wang Jiuzhou and Zhao Yanchu in Beijing this May for the Nationals Finals.

The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and the National Student Federation work together to co-host the competition. The Center for Language Education cooperated with the abovementioned organizations and encourage students to participate in English-speaking competitions with the aim of enhancing their critical thinking and comprehensive literacy skills through learning English.

We wish Wang Jiuzhou and Zhao Yanchu all the best for the National Finals in late May!