Maddison Saysanavongpheth, a Mt Annan resident who is attending Western Sydney University, will represent Australia in an international competition final.
Ms Saysanavongpheth recently finished in first place in the Australian university division of the prestigious international Chinese Language Bridge Competition 2022 for non-native Chinese learners.
As the winner she gets to represent Australia in the international final later this year.
Ms Saysanavongpheth will also receive a government scholarship opportunity to study in Beijing, China.
The competition for non-native Chinese learners saw students from 120 countries competing in three rounds to showcase their skill in Chinese speech, Chinese cultural performance, and Chinese history knowledge.
Ms Saysanavongpheth, who is studying for a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of International Studies degree at Western Sydney University, wowed the judges with her winning cultural performance blending traditional Chinese poetry with martial arts.
Having studied Mandarin for only 18 months as a sub-major in her International Studies degree, her natural talent shone through in her competition winning performance which combined her passion for Chinese martial arts with her new language skills.
“I chose to study Mandarin specifically as I do Chinese martial arts, and I wanted to be able to use Mandarin in the kids’ classes that I teach so my students can also learn the language behind the martial art they’re studying,” Ms Saysanavongpheth said.
“The language program at Western is really good.
“I love the challenge; Mandarin is a tonal language and can be hard to learn because the various tones are hard to hear for the untrained ear, however, my teachers have been amazing.’’
