AN “UNCONVENTIONAL” comedy skit peppered with Mandarin, English and Singlish has landed its writer a place at a Chinese language competition in China later this year.
Ngee Ann Polytechnic Chinese studies student Cindy Ng, 21, performed her play, Who Does It Belong To?, which pits a Chinese mother against her half-Malay son arguing about the origins of some local dishes. Adding to the comical edge, Ms Ng persuaded her Malay friend, Mr Adi Jumaludin, 27, to perform the Mandarin phrases in the skit.
The local leg of the Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, held yesterday, was organised by Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) Confucius Institute and non-profit organisation Business China.
The other winner was trainee teacher Anna Lim, 22, from NTU’s National Institute of Education, who put up a traditional Chinese bamboo clapper performance where rhymed verses are recited in a form of a rap.
The five judges felt both winners captivated the audience with their performances, said one judge, Mr Ting Kheng Siong, from the Singapore Association of Writers. Ms Ng and Ms Lim will represent Singapore at the finals in Hunan in July.
Manpower Minister and Business China director Gan Kim Yong was guest of honour at the event.
Courtesy of The Straits Times, May 9,2009