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Drums Roll as National Language Contests Get Underway

The opening ceremony for the 2009 National Language Contests took place at the city hall’s Family Theater on December 7. On behalf of the city government, Mayor Hau Lung-bin welcomed the contestants to Taipei and encouraged the students to do their best in the competition.
According to the mayor, this year’s competition attracted the largest number of participants in the history of this event. There will be 1754 participants from 12 normal universities in 26 municipalities taking part in the contests.
During the three-day competition, the contestants will test their potentials in dialect categories such as mandarin, Taiwanese, and Hakka. In addition, this year’s contest also includes a speech competition featuring the languages of 14 indigenous tribes.
The mayor pointed out that the Chinese language is rapidly becoming a mainstream subject and a popular foreign language in many nations around the world. He noted that Taiwan has an advantage with having Chinese as its mother tongue and preserving the use of traditional characters. He hopes to promote the importance of the Chinese language through this competition.
Hau also took the opportunity to promote the city to the contestants, encouraging them to explore the city during their stay in Taipei.