On 7 July 2012, a Saturday morning, the first-ever CLing Youth Forum drew an overwhelming crowd of more than 450 youths to the auditorium of Dunman High School.
“What is CLing?” CLing is actually a Chinese-learning media platform jointly presented by Business China and Omy.sg, a bilingual web portal created by Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH). It was launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Dragonfly, St James Power Station in July, 2009. The name CLing (Chinese Language i-n-g) connotes both clinging on to and holding on to the here and now. This is in accordance with the website’s objective of closing the gap between young Singaporeans and learning Chinese.
This forum also marked the first collaboration between Business China and the Bicultural Taskforce. This forum is an extension of the government’s effort to groom more bilingual and bicultural youths by motivating them to maintain their ties with their mother tongue, better their Chinese proficiency and deepen their understanding of the Chinese culture.
Ms Sim Ann, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Education, and head of the Bicultural Taskforce not only graced this forum but also shared her own bilingual learning journey in a keynote speech. She then joined two other young speakers Ms Tan Leng Tuan, Education Correspondent of Lianhe Zaobao, and Mr Yang Jiwei, Executive Director of The TENG Company, in a panel discussion to iterate the advantages of being bilingual and bicultural through sharing of their personal experiences.
Ms Sim Ann shared that: “The ability to code-switch between two languages and two cultures will unlock a treasure trove of experience. It is my hope and dream that we imbue as many students as possible with this ability.”
Ms Low Yen Ling, CEO of Business China and moderator of the panel discussion, said in her welcome address: “There are many ways to the Chinese language. As the saying goes, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begin with the first step’, once you have taken the first step to learn Chinese, you are bound to reap big rewards.”
The sharing session was both thought-provoking and filled with laughter, as the speakers shared personal anecdotes– including some embarrassing encounters due to lack of understanding of local Chinese culture while visiting China.
One of the participants, Ming Qing (22, National University of Singapore) commented that he was drawn to the forum as it provided a platform for knowledge sharing by the speakers from different backgrounds, which could not be found in textbooks.
During the Q & A session, students and teachers from secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and universities, grabbed the opportunity to not only share their views on the forum but also to express their concerns about learning Chinese.
Jaclyn Rajendran from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Diploma in Chinese Media and Communication, commented in fluent Mandarin, that the forum made her realise that she actually has a competitive edge compared to her peers who is professioned in only one language.
Business China Champ of Marketing 2.0
The event also saw the official launch of the Business China Champ of Marketing 2.0 competition by Ms Sim Ann, Ms Low Yen Ling and representative from BreadTalk Group, Ms Joyce Koh. This inaugural online marketing competition will challenge students to develop a marketing proposal for BreadTalk’s Mooncake Festival Campaign for the China market.
Business China Champ of Marketing 2.0 is held to mark Business China’s fifth anniversary this year with an objective to expose students to the business environment in China, as well as let them have a first hand experience of the emerging opportunities and challenges in China.
The winning team will not only bag the cash prize of $5000, but also an internship opportunity at BreadTalk’s Shanghai branch – a valuable exposure to the business environment in China.
Business China Champ of Marketing 2.0 is now open for registration! For more information, please visit http://blog.omy.sg/business-china-champ-of-marketing/.