Rachel Lietzow, a student at University of Kentucky, performs her flute rendition of Lady Meng Jiang at the Chinese Bridge Competition at University of Maryland, College Park last Saturday. Photo by Allan Fong For China Daily

"I'm thrilled to have won," Day said. "But more than that, it was a lot of fun. There were a lot of extremely talented people, so it's nice to see other people that are passionate about learning. It reminds me what those feelings were for me when I first started learning Chinese."

Students immersed themselves in Chinese culture to prepare for the competition. Notable performances included a demonstration of Shaolin kung fu, an erhu recital and a rendition of Chinese rap.

Judges and competitors kept the atmosphere lighthearted, viewing the event as an opportunity to make friends rather than be rivals.

"There is so much in the political and economic sphere when it comes to China, I think people can sometimes overlook the cultural significance of a bridge between our two countries," said one audience member. "These competitions are nice because these they emphasize a more personal understanding of culture."

The judges noted that this year's contestants were notably skillful.

"The dialogues in particular from each of these students is very impressive," one judge said. "They're competing at a very high level; it's wonderful to see."

None of the competitors had studied Chinese before high school, so their level of proficiency was a feat in itself. Even the winner had just three years of the language under his belt, two of which were self-study.

Day took it upon himself to immerse himself in China studies, and his interest in the culture has grown stronger. Along with majoring in Chinese and economics, he plans to work as an intern in Shanghai this summer.

"I'm open to finding some work in China; that's the goal for sure," he said.

Day will attend the world finals in Beijing this summer, his first trip to the country to which he has devoted his university studies.

It was the Chinese Bridge Competition's 15th year of international college-level contests in Chinese language and cultural arts.

The annual regional event is supported by the Chinese Embassy in Washington and hosted by the Confucius Institute at Maryland as part of its mission to enhance the understanding of China in surrounding schools and communities.

Allan Fong in Washington contributed to the story