Performers perform Shaolin martial arts during the Greater Houston Spring Festival Gala in Houston, Texas, the United States, Jan. 26, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

"You are a distant long road, the light in the fog and mountains. I am a child, walking in your eyes." Ari Watts, a junior student majoring in neuroscience at North Central College in Chicago's western suburban city of Naperville, was singing the Chinese song titled "As wished" in perfect Chinese Saturday.

Some 60 U.S. students from eight colleges in the Midwestern states of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa gathered at North Central College to show off their Chinese skills at the 2025 Midwest College Chinese Speech Contest.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Chinese Deputy Consul General in Chicago Zhang Yiqi said that "China is willing to offer support and provide convenience for the American public, American youth in particular, to learn Chinese." She urged U.S. students to go to China to see for themselves.

"Understanding is what helps us to make the world a better place, whether you're in business, whether you're in education, whether you're in social work, (or) whether you're in health care, that perspective is critical," said Abiodun Goke-Pariola, president of North Central College. "So I commend you for the curiosity that has made you step outside your comfort zone."

Students attending the contest each gave a three-minute speech in Chinese, showed their proficiency in Chinese singing and dancing skills, and recited tongue twisters and Tang poems. One of them performed the "Butterfly Lovers," a Chinese legend akin to "Romeo and Juliet," on the violin.

"All of your hopes and all of your dreams are something that I hope to accomplish, and I hope to walk the path that you walk," Watts told Xinhua about her understanding of the song "As wished."

"I really like that sort of meaning and also the melody, the way that it's sung, it's just very pretty," said Watts.

Meredith Newcomb, a junior at North Central College, recalled her China travels, calling them "life changing." "It was a really special experience to be able to have at such a young age," she told Xinhua.

"I think the opportunity to be able to learn from people from different places and to open your mind to what the world can be is a very valuable one. And I was very grateful to have it at such a formative age," Newcomb said, adding she would love to go back one day, as "there's a lot of China."

The contest was jointly organized by Northwestern University, Loyola University Chicago and North Central College.

"We have been organizing the contest for 25 years, and the theme of the contest this year is 'We are the world,'" Northwestern University professor and organizing committee co-chair Gu Licheng told Xinhua.

The contest aims to "promote Chinese teaching progress at the university level in the U.S. Midwest, encourage students to learn Chinese and become interested in Chinese language and culture," he said.