On May 8, 2026, the 5th Turkish University Students' Chinese Song Karaoke Competition and Chinese Poetry Recitation Contest were successfully held at Yeditepe University Confucius Institute. The event gathered 53 participants from 10 universities in Türkiye. Taking Chinese poetry and songs as the medium, it has built an important platform for Chinese culture and youth exchanges between China and Türkiye. Six students from METU Confucius Institute took part in the competitions and competed with Chinese language learners from other Turkish universities. With outstanding performances, they achieved remarkable results, fully demonstrating their diligence and confidence.

The arena was filled with the timeless charm of Chinese poetry and the melodious beauty of Chinese songs. In the Chinese Poetry Recitation Competition, Meliha Maryam Kaplan won the second prize, while Onur Emre Kasaplı and İlyas Yalçınkaya took the third prize. In the Chinese Song Karaoke Competition, İlke Nilsu Durukan claimed the second prize with her beautiful singing and standard Chinese pronunciation. In addition, METU Confucius Institute was awarded the Excellent Organization Award.

To prepare for the competitions, teachers and students of METU Confucius Institute made joint efforts and conducted intensive training in their spare time. The competitions provided a valuable platform for Turkish Chinese learners to learn from each other and showcase their talents. While competing with outstanding peers from other universities, our students tested their Chinese proficiency, made friends, and deepened their understanding and appreciation of Chinese poetry and music culture. The event truly realized the goals of promoting learning and friendship through competitions.

Moving forward, METU Confucius Institute will stay committed to Chinese language education, continuously host and participate in high-quality cultural exchange activities. We will further inspire Turkish youth's enthusiasm for learning Chinese, help more young people understand Chinese culture, strengthen China-Türkiye friendship, and let the flower of cultural exchanges bloom forever in the hearts of young people from both countries.