Artiste Alex Fong helps promote lively learning and use of Putonghua (with photo)
Artiste Alex Fong, the Ambassador for Promotion of Putonghua 2009 appointed by the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR), encouraged Hong Kong people to learn and use Putonghua through watching and listening to Putonghua news programmes, participation in Putonghua activities, or even introducing Hong Kong tourist attractions to visitors in Putonghua.
Attending the grand finale of the Putonghua Singing Competition for Primary and Secondary Schools today (30 May), he shared his experience with the contestants, telling them that singing was also a good way to help improve Putonghua proficiency.
The singing competition is one of SCOLAR's Putonghua promotion activities in 2009. It was organised by the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union with 1 300 primary and secondary students competing in the solo and group singing sections.
Also held today was the opening ceremony of an exhibition of achievement of the Putonghua Training Programme for Student Tourism Ambassadors. SCOLAR member, Ms Junia Ho, and Director of the Hong Kong Community College (HKCC), Dr Simon Leung, officiated at the ceremony.
The training programme was organised by HKCC to provide more opportunities for secondary students to practise Putonghua outside the classroom through training on Putonghua speaking skills and field trips to local historical sites.
Forty secondary schools participated in this year's programme. A public exhibition will be held from today until 5 June at the Avenue of Stars, Tsim Sha Tsui, to showcase what the students have learnt from the programme.
SCOLAR has been organising large-scale activities to promote Putonghua among students and the community since 2002. In addition to the singing competition and training programme for student tourism ambassadors, this year's activities include the Putonghua Radio Drama Training and Competition; the Inter-Varsity Putonghua Debating Competition for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau and the Putonghua Broadcaster Competition (for public and secondary school students) co-organised with RTHK; the Putonghua Public Speaking Competition for Primary and Secondary Schools with the Cultural and Educational Association of the New Towns; the School-based Putonghua Drama Training Programme with Prospects Theatre; and a radio programme produced by Metro Radio that introduces Putonghua pronunciation of some terms commonly found in economic news. The series of activities will wrap up with a finale show bringing this year's promotional activities to a climax.
Free admission tickets are available for some of these activities. For more details, please refer to the SCOLAR website at http://www.language-education.com.
Established in 1996, SCOLAR advises the Government on language education issues and the use of the Language Fund.
Caption
Attending the grand finale of the Putonghua Singing Competition for Primary and Secondary Schools today (30 May), the Ambassador for Promotion of Putonghua 2009 appointed by SCOLAR, Alex Fong (fourth from right), encouraged the students to improve their Putonghua through singing.
This link will open in a new windowSCOLAR's Promotion of Putonghua (with English subtitles) (2009)
This link will open in a new windowSCOLAR's Promotion of Putonghua (with Chinese subtitles) (2009)
This link will open in a new windowSCOLAR's Promotion of Putonghua theme song (with Chinese subtitles) (2009)