BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhuanet) --A competition has taken place in Morocco to find out who has the best Chinese language skills. The contest -- known as the Chinese Bridge -- was held in the capital Rabat. Contestants competed in two parts --- writing a composition and performing in a talent show. The results were announced on Sunday - with a grand prize winner and several runners-up named. Two of the winners are set to visit Beijing.

The event was hosted by China's Confucius Institute in Morocco. It's the second time the Chinese bridge competition has taken place here. On Saturday 26 contestants from across the country took part -- and their ages ranged from 14 to 62 years old Tkassit Abdullah. The theme of composition this year is "China and I". Abdullah, used his experience visiting China last year in his writing.

Contestant Ait Tkassit Abdullah said, "Learning Chinese is a very pleasant experience, especially after I went to China, I was surprised to find that China is very different from what we see from books or television, or what we hear on the radio. Getting along with the Chinese people is a very precious memory."

The Director of the Confucius institute in Morocco Saleh Mohammed, said that the establishment of the institute has led to an increasing number of Moroccans learning Chinese. So far this year, 220 students registered for classes. However, the institute has only 2 teachers and a volunteer even so, they still manage to successfully organize student activities.

Saleh Mohammed, director of Confucius Institute in Morocco said, "We provide opportunities for students to promote their interest in this language. For instance, we organized for students to go to Beijing, and enjoy a summer camp at the Beijing Foreign Studies University."

During the talent show section, each contestant did their best to express their understanding and love of the Chinese culture. some of them recited Chinese poetry, some sang Chinese songs, some performed a piece of self-directed material. The judges and audience were deeply impressed with their excellent performance, and showed it through warm applause.