VALLETTA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Malta held the third Chinese character writing competition for primary and secondary school students on Saturday to mark the upcoming United Nations Chinese Language Day, which falls on April 20.

Jointly organized by the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation and the Confucius Institute at the University of Malta, the event attracted more than 30 students from 14 schools across the country.

Participants were divided into beginner and intermediate groups based on their grade level and Chinese language proficiency. Within a 30-minute time limit, students were tasked with transcribing two classical Chinese poems that celebrate the beauty of spring. Thomas Desira won first prize in the beginner group, while Aimee Sinead Baitson claimed the top prize in the intermediate group.

Baitson, 15, said that he has been working hard on his Chinese writing to prepare for the HSK Level 2 exam. "I really want to go to China. It is a dream that I have been striving for," he said.

Mattia Dalcielo, also 15, took the second prize in the intermediate group. He said he visited China last year to participate in the "Chinese Bridge" competition, where he delivered a speech and performed martial arts.

"I love studying the structure of Chinese characters. It is a completely different experience from the English alphabet," he said.

Alice Micallef, assistant director of the Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes at the Education Ministry, highlighted the competition's role in deepening students' appreciation of Chinese language and culture, reaffirming the ministry's commitment to Chinese language education in Malta.

Nie Aixia, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute, said the event improved students' reading, writing, and confidence in learning Chinese. The institute will continue to explore new ways to enrich character writing competitions, she added.■