The Center for Excellence in English Instruction (CEEI) at Xiwan College of National Sun Yat-sen University organized the "2021 NSYSU English Speaking Competition - My City! My Pride!" with the aim of providing students a platform to showcase their English speaking abilities. Unlike traditional presentations with slides, the competition encouraged participants to creatively introduce their hometowns. Students from various cities around the world participated, allowing Taiwanese students to showcase the unique features of their hometowns and international students to share diverse perspectives, expanding both domestic and international horizons.

The competition was divided into two groups: the first group comprised students from the Department of Foreign Languages, the English-taught programs, and international students, while the second group consisted of students from non-English-related departments. In the preliminary stage, participants were required to upload short videos introducing the characteristics of their hometowns to a designated website. There was an enthusiastic response from students, with a total of 105 videos competing for the top spots. CEEI invited six local and international English language experts to serve as judges, evaluating participants based on language expression, speech content, delivery, and creativity. Fifteen students from each group were selected to advance to the final round held on December 17th.

During the opening ceremony, Professor Li Xianglan, Vice Dean of Xiwan College and Executive Director of CEEI, expressed gratitude for the students' enthusiastic participation and praised their courage to speak English, making the inaugural English Speaking Competition a success. Professor Li emphasized that besides English proficiency, communication skills and cross-cultural understanding are essential for global engagement. She shared the secret to mastering English: "Think, Use, and Speak English in daily life." Deputy Dean Xie Dongyou remarked that hosting such a competition aligns with the school's goal of encouraging students to confidently speak English and engage in cultural exchanges with foreigners.

Chang Chin-Chia, a freshman from the Department of Foreign Languages, emerged as the champion in Group 1. Despite delivering a steady performance during the competition, he felt pleasantly surprised and honored to surpass many seniors majoring in foreign languages. He appreciated the relaxed atmosphere of the competition and gained insights into various cities beyond his knowledge. Wang Hao-Ping, a senior from the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, expressed gratitude to his English teachers and Professor Li Xianglan for their guidance, which boosted his confidence to compete. He also highly recommended the English Table at Xiwan International Salon, where he had the courage to speak English with foreign students.

The exciting event concluded in the afternoon, and the winners were announced. Zhang Zhi-Jia, Lu Hui-Xia, and Wang Jun-Ren secured the top three spots in Group 1, while Chen Hong-Sheng, Dong Yu-Chen, and Tseng Yu-Jyun excelled in Group 2. The first-place winner received a cash prize of NT$5000, the second and third-place winners received NT$3000 and NT$2000, respectively. Additionally, two honorable mentions and three commendations were awarded in each group, with cash prizes ranging from NT$200 to NT$500. All participants who advanced to the final round received certificates of participation.

The competition, "2021 NSYSU English Speaking Competition - My City! My Pride!", was the first English speaking competition organized by CEEI since its establishment on August 1st. Professor Li Xianglan, Executive Director of CEEI and the convener of the competition, expressed the center's commitment to organizing various English competitions, providing students who have completed English courses at NSYSU with opportunities to showcase and evaluate their English proficiency. The conception, rules, selection of judging panels, and organization of the competition were made possible through the efforts of Assistant Professor Chen Ruihua, Chair of the Organizing Committee, and the administrative team of CEEI, under the guidance of Assistant Professor Zhao Keqing. Assistant Professor Chen Ruihua drew inspiration from the IBM "2010 Global CEO Survey," which identified three important leadership qualities: creativity, integrity, and global thinking. Thus, she designed the competition to encourage students to showcase their English speaking abilities while fostering a global mindset.

The six members of the judging panel responsible for the preliminary and final rounds were Dr. David Harman, Associate Professor Lo Ya-Fen, Assistant Professor Que Dei-Fong, Dr. Joseph Tiangco, Assistant Professor Wen Hui-Zhen, and Assistant Professor Lin Yu-Zhan. Assistant Professors Chen Ruihua and Zhuang Jiaxiong served as hosts for the opening and closing ceremonies, respectively. Director Ou Shu-Zhen from the Center for Teaching and Learning Development also attended the event to encourage the participating students. The competition concluded amidst joyous atmosphere and fruitful learning exchanges.