Xiong Zhiyuan, a 2019 graduate student from the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation of Beijing Foreign Studies University, won the grand prize in the English Speech Competition and first prize in the English Debate Competition at the 2021 National English Competition for College Students (NECCS).

Awarding ceremony of the competition

The NECCS's national finals were held in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, from 3 to 7 August. The finals included the 21st National English Speech Competition, the 21st National English Debate Competition, and the 14th National English Talent Competition.

The first round of the English Speech Competition was a semi-impromptu speech, testing the contestants' ability to structure a speech, design the content and deliver a high-quality speech within a given time. The second round was an impromptu speech, testing the contestants' on-the-spot performance, language expression, and knowledge reserve.

A total of 22 teams from different provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions participated in the English Debate Competition. Xiong Zhiyuan, together with one student from the China Foreign Affairs University and another from the Capital Medical University, formed the Beijing team and competed against the Jiangxi team, eventually winning first prize. Wang Suyang, a young teacher from the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation, was the instructor of the competition.

The competition was organized by the Teachers of English as a Foreign Language in China (TEFL in China) and the Association for the Research of Foreign Language Teaching in Colleges and Universities.

Over one million students from more than 1,300 universities across China signed up for the competition, with 260 students from 136 universities across 22 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions participating in the finals.