Taiwan tops Asian high school debate championship

2015/08/11

Taiwan students performed with aplomb at the inaugural Asian High School Mandarin Chinese Debate Championship Aug. 6-9 in Kaohsiung City, underscoring the intellectual acumen and verbal finesse of the country’s youth.

Taipei Municipal Song-Shan Senior High School beat host Kaohsiung Girls’ Senior High School, winner of the 2014 Jing Bian Cup competition in Malaysia, to claim top prize.

Both sides were praised for displaying insight and skill beyond their years in the final about online freedom of speech. Song-Shan’s Tsai Jing-tang was also voted best debater of the tournament.

Kaohsiung Senior High School and Taipei Private Yanping High School tied for third place. A total of 23 teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and mainland China contested the event.

“The championship is the largest of its kind ever to take place in Taiwan,” KGSHS Principal Huang Shiou-shia said. “We are proud of the efforts of our homegrown students and moved to see them keep the trophies on these shores.”

Mixing Oregon and Singapore debate styles, Huang said the tournament provides an opportunity for students to exchange ideas and learn diverse cultures while strengthening the Mandarin Chinese debate community in the Asia-Pacific.

“We look forward to making this championship an annual event going forward and creating an interactive platform for Asia’s young debaters.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=233566&ctNode=413)