The third “Who is a master storyteller?” storytelling competition wrapped up in Shenzhen Poly Theater on December 22. The compelling stories told by the young contestants amazed the judges and an audience of around 1,000 people.

From harmonious teacher-student relationships to memories of grandma and her paper-cuttings, the stories told covered a wide range of topics. Stories about the Red Army were a highlight of the event. The touching stories once again reminded the audience of the sacrifices made by Red Army soldiers as well as their perseverance, resilience and willingness to help.

The excellent performances by the students wowed the judges and the audience.

“All students entering the final round of this competition are excellent storytellers with a good handle of language expression skills,” commented Ma Qing, an executive at the Shenzhen Language Work Commission. He pointed out that there is still room for improvement in terms of performance (in particular in areas like emotional immersion) and then expressed his hope that students will attach more importance to reading after the competition and make it part of their life.

Winners of the competition were announced shortly after the expert comment section. Forty-three schools were awarded outstanding organizers. The first prize of the junior primary school group went to Yan Zimu from Shenzhen Yucai No. 2 Primary School, and the first prize of the senior primary school group went to Jiang Xinyu from Shenzhen Yangguang Primary School.

The third “Who is a Master Storyteller?” competition is a feature event in the 20th Shenzhen Reading Month this year. Launched on September 23, the event has attracted over 50,000 students from some 150 schools across the city.

(Yu Yuanfan)