Faith Emmanuel Mba had only been learning Chinese for 17 months when she found herself competing against some of the strongest Chinese-language students from around the world.
By the end of the competition, the Nigerian had secured third place globally.
Mba, whose Chinese name is Lu Xingyao (陆星瑶), represented Nigeria at the global finals of the 25th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, finishing with the Global Third Prize.
Her result came after a remarkable rise that began at the UNIZIK Confucius Institute in March 2025, when she started learning Chinese from scratch.
She subsequently progressed through Nigeria’s national stage and the African competition before earning the opportunity to represent the continent at the global finals. There, she competed alongside outstanding Chinese-language learners from five continents.
Among this year’s 157 contestants from 138 countries, Mba stood out not only for her performance but also for the speed of her progress. She was the contestant with the shortest Chinese-learning experience in this year’s competition.
Her achievement is particularly notable because Chinese is a demanding language that ordinarily requires sustained study and extensive practice to master. Yet, within one year and five months of beginning from zero, Mba had reached the highest international stage of the competition.
The feat adds another distinction to an already significant academic chapter for the Nigerian. Mba recently completed her bachelor’s degree in History and International Studies at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, where her language journey began at the university’s Confucius Institute.
Her success was also shared by her instructor, Ms Qin Fangfang, who received the Outstanding Instructor Award at the global event.
The scale of the competition puts Mba’s achievement into wider perspective. Now in its 25th year, the “Chinese Bridge” programme has expanded to more than 160 countries and regions and has attracted over 1.8 million young participants worldwide. Its international reach has earned it the description of the “Olympics” of the Chinese language.
For the UNIZIK Confucius Institute, Mba’s latest result adds to a growing international record. She is the third university-category contestant from the Institute to win a Global Third Prize. Since 2018, students from its university and secondary-school categories have collectively won 12 major honours in “Chinese Bridge” competitions.
That haul includes three African championships, four Global First Prizes and five Global Third Prizes.
Mba’s journey also offers a glimpse into what can happen when language education extends beyond the classroom. The Institute’s approach combines classroom teaching, dedicated instructor guidance, cultural immersion and practical experience, giving students opportunities to develop their language abilities in real-world settings.
What began for Mba as a new language learnt from scratch in March 2025 has now become an international achievement: a Nigerian university graduate standing on the global podium in one of the world’s largest Chinese-language competitions.
Her Global Third Prize is therefore another international achievement by a young Nigerian and another strong entry in UNIZIK’s growing record on the global academic stage.
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