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Mladenka Markovic delivers a speech during the 17th "Chinese Bridge" in Pale, east of the capital Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on May 23, 2018. The Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) edition of the 17th "Chinese Bridge", or the Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, was held on Wednesday in Pale. Mladenka Markovic, a sophomore from the Department of Sinology at the University of East Sarajevo (UES), won the contest and will represent BiH at the international "Chinese Bridge" final in China. (Xinhua/Haris Memija)

SARAJEVO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) edition of the 17th "Chinese Bridge", or the Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students, was held on Wednesday in Pale, east of the capital Sarajevo.

Under the theme of "All under heaven are one family," 12 contestants demonstrated their knowledge of Chinese language, culture and history during the three parts of the competition: questions and answers, speech and talent show.

Mladenka Markovic, a sophomore from the Department of Sinology at the University of East Sarajevo (UES), won the contest and will represent BiH at the international "Chinese Bridge" final in China.

"I started learning Chinese since high school. I have been preparing for today's competition for three months," Markovic told Xinhua, happy about the win.

Cui Xiuzhong, a Chinese language teacher in the Department of Sinology at the UES, told Xinhua that Chinese language learning has been "flourishing" in BiH in recent years. The Department of Sinology is one of the most populous departments at the UES.