HBU Holds 7th “New Voice” Language Arts Festival
In this season rich with the fragrance of blooming osmanthus, language arts elites from universities across the nation gathered once again at Hebei University. The Seventh“New Voice”College Student Language and Culture Arts Festival, organized by the Hebei Provincial Department of Education, concluded successfully at our university on September 21.
During the final round of the “New Voice” College Student Original Works Recitation Competition, expert judges scored the performances live. "The Wheat Fields of Henan" from Yunnan Arts University, "The Third Brigade" from Hebei University, and "Flight of the Bumblebee" from Peking University/The University of Hong Kong won the first prize. Among them, "The Wheat Fields of Henan" was particularly praised by both the audience and judges, earning this year’s“New Voice”Grand Prize. "The Wheat Fields of Henan," "No Compromise," and "Framing Elegance" received the Best Original Work Award.
The competition received significant attention from the Provincial Department of Education and our university. Yu Yuguo, a member of the Education Working Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, a Provincial Department of Education Party Group member, and Deputy Director, along with Meng Qingyu, a member of the university's Party Committee and Vice President, attended the finals. Leaders from various departments and faculties of Hebei University, including the Academic Affairs Office, the Party Committee Publicity Department, the Party Committee Student Affairs Department, the Youth League Committee, the School of Journalism and Communication, and the School of Literature, watched the competition.
In his speech, Yu Yuguo highlighted that 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a crucial year for achieving the goals of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and a significant year for fully initiating the construction of a strong education nation. At the recent National Education Conference, President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of "intensifying the promotion of the national common language and script to help forge a strong sense of community among the Chinese people." At this historical juncture, promoting the national common language and script, and preserving and developing China's outstanding linguistic culture, are of significant and far-reaching importance for implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, serving the forging of a strong sense of community among the Chinese people, and building a powerful linguistic cultural nation.
Meng Qingyu warmly welcomed the participants and extended cordial greetings to the judges of the finals. He briefly introduced the history and recent developments of the university, emphasizing that Hebei University has always valued language work and actively implemented President Xi Jinping's important discourse on language and script work. The university has made substantial efforts in building a linguistic culture brand, prioritizing language research, advancing informatization, supporting national strategies, and aiding local development. It has effectively played a demonstration and leading role as a national language promotion base, in line with the spirit of the National Education Conference. The“New Voice”National College Student Original Works Recitation Competition further intensified the promotion of the national common language and script, continually fostering a strong sense of community among the Chinese people.
Under the leadership and support of the Hebei Provincial Language Commission and the Department of Education, the“New Voice”College Student Language and Culture Arts Festival has successfully reached its seventh edition, garnering fruitful results and establishing itself as a well-known and influential brand of college student arts activities. The original works contest of this year's festival started in June and, by July 31, received 456 submissions from 114 universities across 27 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities nationwide. For the first time, students from universities in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan (The University of Hong Kong) participated in the event, setting new records in both the quantity and quality of entries.
The expert judges from the Beijing People's Art Theatre, China Media Group, Beijing Radio and Television Station, and Beijing Language and Culture University evaluated the submissions. Eighteen works made it to the finals and were awarded first, second, and third prizes. The second prize winners included "The Flowers Bloom," "Sound Shakes the Sky," "Guo Yonghuai—A Scientist Who Should Not Be Forgotten by History," "No Compromise," "Framing Elegance," and "Qin Charm." The third prize winners included "Good Steel Used on the Blade," "Son of the Great Wall," "The Indestructible Flag," "The Biography of Su Shi," "The Martyr's Confession—Chen Yannian," "Silent Justice," "Flags Fluttering," "Echoes," and "Homeland." These works came from institutions such as Shandong Youth University of Political Science, Inner Mongolia Arts University, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Sichuan Film and Television University, Northwest Normal University, Hebei GEO University, Anhui Radio, Film and Television Vocational College, Nanjing Communication Institute of Technology, Hebei Normal University, Harbin Normal University, and Shandong University of Arts.
During the arts festival, the organizers also invited hosts from Hebei Radio and Television Station to conduct a seminar titled "Mandarin Fundamentals and Broadcasting Host Talent Cultivation" and a renowned lecture series on "Broadcast Drama Performance and Production," making the event a grand gathering of language arts.
