It is with deep regret that I am announcing the cancellation of MSL Master Chinese Writing Contest 2025. 

The reason is simple. We have received a total of 13 submissions, but 5 of them used Chinese characters that are outside of the designated 320 characters, and therefore were disqualified automatically.

Did you watch it on television?

On September 3, 2025, a military parade was held in Beijing's Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, specifically marking China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. 

September 16, the closing date for Chinese Writing Contest 2025, is coming soon.

Don’t miss it!

And it’s in Hong Kong time (GMT + 8) 🤞

August 8-12, 2025 welcomed 60+ humanoid robots to Beijing for the first World Robot Conference.

Of course, these robots were there for humans to see what robots could achieve. And there were lots of people came! Over 20,000 attendees from 20+ countries came. Besides humanoid robots, there were also smart manufacturing, AI, and etc on display.

August 1st, the opening day of Chinese Writing Contest 2025, is drawing closer. 

In this series of posts aiming to help you improve your writing skills, it is time to focus on character building, i.e. how to make your characters alive and convincing. 

There are many ways to do this. But it all comes down to one thing, a character’s bio.

A recent story in SCMP is very interesting, which says that over half of the world’s top 100 AI talent are Chinese, with many working in china.

This is significant. It underscores a reality that China is no longer broadly lagging behind the U.S. in science and technology. China now leads in AI research output, scientific publications, and critical technologies like 5G, EVs, and drones. 

The majority of submissions during the previous Chinese Writing Contests were short stories. While some were exceptionally good, some were really confusing. I hope that 2025 could be a little bit better, with more of the former and less of the latter.

This is the reason that we’re going to talk a little bit about the 4C in story telling. I’ll use some best entries from previous years to illustrate.

The bragging rights that participants of our tiny Chinese Writing Contest are that their work will be published in a traditional book form, with free audio version available online. This year, we will see the publication of Easy-to-Read Chinese Short Stories, Book 5. 

A place in the book is not guaranteed. You have to write well to demonstrate a high level of dexterity and strength in your language abilities. The following 5-step guide might help.

Harvard University, long revered as a beacon of academic excellence and a training ground for leaders who tackle real-world challenges, has had some serious problems.

The most recent backlash was caused by a Chinese student Yurong “Luanna” Jiang’s 2025 commencement speech. This incident reminded me of former president Claudine Gay’s 2023 congressional hearing. 

These cases raise questions.

Labubu, the mischievous, toothy elf from “The Monsters” series, has taken the collectible toy world by storm, a remarkable feat for a Chinese company Pop Mart. 

Created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, this plush and vinyl figure, with its “ugly-cute” charm, has become a cultural sensation, driven by blind box collectibles and celebrity endorsements from stars like Blackpink’s Lisa. 

You’ve decided to participate in this year’s Chinese Writing Contest. 

You have found yourself a comfortable place with a nice cup of tea. You have placed a piece of paper in front of you, or a blank computer screen. You’ve reminded yourself that the submission starts on August 1, 2025.

The only thing that is not here is … an idea that you can write about. 

The first Chinese Writing Contest was launched in 2021. It was started as a response to an ongoing prevalent belief among Chinese language learners, teachers and test authorities, who have championed the idea that students must learn one or two thousand of Chinese characters, just to get started with their reading and writing Chinese. Some books are sold as foundation materials, offering only 800-1000 individual characters.

This is misleading.

MSL Master Chinese Writing Contest 2025 is receiving submissions on August 1. 

If you’re worried that you have not learned all of the required 320 Chinese characters yet, or you’re not sure that you can use them in sentences and paragraphs, worry no more. Help is right here!

112 YouTube videos and Chinese reading and writing worksheets are here to teach you all the required Chinese characters and to enable you to use them effectively in sentences and paragraphs.

When I read Michael Crichton’s The Terminal Man (1972) decades ago, I thought it was fascinating, just like other Crichton’s books. Little did I know that the technology could be advancing so quickly. It is literally already here! 

That makes a great topic for Join the Discussion.

Hey fellow Chinese language learners! It's that time of the year. Time to show off your creativities and Chinese writing skills with 320 Chinese characters.

Get ready for Chinese Writing Contest 2025! It's bragging time! 😀

In this contest, depth is valued more than quickness, ingenuity more than vitality, and creativity more than erudition.