Bridging Cultures Through Sound: When Chinese Meets South Africa

Sebabatso Kazadi, Amohetsoe Mokoena, and Lethabo Noge took first prize in the under-18 division of the non-native Chinese category for their 'My Little Pony' dub. With the theme “When Chinese Meets South Africa,” this year’s competition was open to Chinese language learners across South Africa through an online registration platform.

Recently, the results of the 2026 International Chinese Language Day Chinese Dubbing Competition in South Africa, one of the “Chinese Bridge” programs, were officially announced. The competition was organised by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of South Africa and the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, hosted by Confucius Classroom at Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Centre South Africa , sponsored by th e South Africa -China Economy and Trade Association , and co-organised by Confucius Institutes, Confucius Classrooms, and Chinese-language education schools across South Africa. The competition came to a successful conclusion.

With the theme “When Chinese Meets South Africa,” this year’s competition was open to Chinese language learners across South Africa through an online registration platform. Participants were divided into two major categories: those with a Chinese-speaking background and those without a Chinese-speaking background. The competition further featured five divisions: the Under-8 Native Chinese Division , the Ages 9–12 Native Chinese Division , the Ages 13–18 Native Chinese Division , the Under-18 Non-Native Chinese Division , and the 18 + N on-Native Chinese Division .

A total of 131 dubbing entries were received from Confucius Institutes, Confucius Classrooms, and Chinese language education institutions throughout South Africa. Selected clips from popular animated films and television series—including My Little Pony , The Super Wings , Monkey King: Hero Is Back , Big Hero 6 , Yao - Chinese Folktales , Ne Zha , and Zootopia —were used as dubbing materials. Each entry was approximately one to three minutes long.

The competition attracted enthusiastic participation from young Chinese language learners across South Africa. With lively Chinese pronunciation and nuanced emotional expression, the contestants brought youthful energy to the classic film and animation clips.