Ojimmadu Raphael Ebube, a contestant from Nigeria, takes part in the final of the 2023 "My Story of Chinese Hanzi" international competition held in Jincheng city, north China's Shanxi Province. (People's Daily Online/Lu Pengyu)

The final of the 2023 "My Story of Chinese Hanzi" international competition, themed "家园" (Homeland), concluded successfully on Sept. 14, 2023, in Jincheng city, north China's Shanxi Province.

The competition commenced in June this year, and attracted over 3,000 contestants from more than 70 countries across the world.

After preliminary and semifinal rounds, 10 finalist teams from Poland, Kenya, Pakistan, Chad, Nigeria, Ghana, Laos, Sudan, Mongolia, and Russia were selected to compete in the final held in Jincheng. The contestants expressively shared their visions of an ideal "homeland" in fluent Mandarin Chinese during the last round of the competition.

In the end, Ojimmadu Raphael Ebube from Nigeria took home the Grand Award; Sejoud Isam Mahir Hassan from Sudan and Lydia Nduta Njoroge from Kenya claimed the First Prize; Kaleem Sajid from Pakistan, Moses Arthur Baidoo from Ghana, and twin brothers Yasser Mahamad Senoussi and Ousama Mahamad Senoussi Ahmad from Chad won the Second Prize; and the remaining finalists won Third Prize.

Under the theme of "家园" (Homeland), the event aimed to promote ideas valued in the Chinese civilization, such as "The whole world is one family," "All people are my brothers and sisters, and all things are my companions," and "Harmony among all nations".

It was organized with the purpose of sharing the Chinese people's aspiration to promote harmonious coexistence between civilizations and build a beautiful world together with people from various countries around the world.

The competition was hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and jointly organized by People's Daily Online and the Communist Party of China (CPC) Jincheng Municipal Committee, the People's Government of Jincheng Municipality, and Shanxi House of the Huangcheng Chancellor Group.