(By Ding Xudong, Cai Xiaoyan, Photo by Cai Xiaoyan, Zhang Ruizhe, Wang Yifan) The stage in November highlighted French language and music. On November 28, the 2024 First French Song Contest of the Hangzhou International Innovation Institute of Beihang University (H3I) came to a successful conclusion. This excellent contest has attracted students from Zhongfa Aviation Institute of Beihang University (ZFAI) who are passionate about French language and music. Through songs filled with deep emotion or great passion, these students expressed their understanding and love for French culture, showcasing the unique charm of French songs as well as their youthful spirit and boundless talent. Judges for the contest were Frédéric Genty, the French Dean of ZFAI, Cai Xiaoyan, Ji Jie and Célia Salem, members of the French language curriculum group, and Yi Meng, a member of the art education curriculum group.
For many students who have not studied French for a long period of time, singing in French is a huge challenge. In addition to achieving precise pronunciation, contestants were required to comprehend the cultural connotations of the songs and to impress judges and the audience through their emotional control and musical performance. It is worth mentioning that first-year students Cai Yufei and Lin Shijie delivered French songs with deep emotion and nearly perfect pronunciation after only three months of studying French.
One first-prize winner, two second-prize winners, three third-prize winners and three outstanding award winners were selected for the contest. Frédéric Genty highly praised the contestants’ performance and presented awards to the winners.
△ Winner of the first prize: Chen Xingguo (Juliette)
△ Winners of the second prize: Cai Yufei (Chloé), Zhu Zhifei (Pauline)
△ Winners of the third prize: Zhao Yiran (Térésa), Lin Shijie (Justine), Wang Yifan (Candice)
△ Winners of the outstanding award: Jiang Kaizhe (Loïc), Liu Xiaohang (Joseph), Wang Xinyu (Léa)
As a campus cultural event, the French song contest has not only enhanced the students’ French proficiency, but also served as a significant opportunity to promote cultural exchange between China and France. The contest was a rehearsal for the National French Song Contest, which will open for enrollment in January 2025, helping students gain stage experience.
In addition, the French language curriculum group has carried out a series of activities throughout this semester to help students further understand French culture. The group has adopted more enriched themes and forms of the “French Café” series for more student envolvement, including small talks with friends and clubs for dubbing, short films, literature, and board games, providing students with a platform to practice their language in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Through the integration of language and art, the French song contest showcased the youthful spirit of ZFAI students. We anticipate that these contestants will achieve excellent results in the 2025 National French Song Contest, bringing greater honor to their school. In the future, ZFAI will continue to promote the profound integration of culture in language learning in its curriculum for its students to be truly equiped with international perspectives.
(Approved by Hong Guanxin, Zhang Wei, Xu Ran)
Edited by Yuan Xiaohui
