PIC: Have you, for example, visited the Great Wall of China? Or have any other experience on China? Here's a chance for you to express yourself and potentially win. (AFP/Getty Images)
Do you have a story to share about your experience of the People’s Republic of China? Have you travelled to, conducted business or worked in China?
Your inspiring story could win you a decent prize at the end of every week from April to August.
Also a grand prize of an all-expenses paid trip to the Asian country will be offered in August. Vision Group, in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy, unveils the ‘My China Story’ Essay Competition, in honour of China’s development journey and warm bilateral ties with Uganda.
The competition will focus on readers’ views and experience of China, according to Vision Group’s editor-in-chief, Barbara Kaija. “We encourage our readers to share their stories about China with us. We will publish the best stories every Tuesday and winning writers will win smartphones as the weekly prize,” she said. The competition celebrates China’s friendship with Uganda and Africa, her position as an influential global player and her transformation over the last 40 years to become world’s second largest economy.
The China story Once held back by poverty, the economic and social transformation in China today stands out as a country, which has enabled millions of its population get out of poverty.
The country’s heavy investment in infrastructure development, industrialization and urbanization underlines its modernization and development. China, a country of more than 1.3 billion people, lifted more than 600 million of its citizens out of poverty between 1978 and 2016.
The country has set out a plan to ensure that by 2020, no Chinese national will be living below the poverty line. The country’s ambitious plan to transform the living standards of its citizens over the years has helped create an unmatched network of modern cities and infrastructure.
China is not only increasingly opening up to the world but has also set out to help developing countries in Africa through funding, development advice and business opportunities. Several Chinese companies now have a strong foothold in Uganda’s infrastructure projects including roads, power stations and factories while China remains a key destination for businesspersons. The writing competition will capture captivating and impressionable stories about China, as told by Ugandans.
Exciting photos According to Kaija, stories accompanied by photos taken by the writers themselves stand a better chance of being considered during the weekly writing contest. However, the entries must respect all copyright rules. Internet photos or those taken by other persons other than the entrant in the competition are not allowed. China’s Ambassador to Uganda,
Zheng Zhuqiang, said the competition was a tribute to more than half a century of sound diplomatic ties between China and Uganda. “It was just nine days after Uganda got independence in 1962 that China and Uganda established diplomatic relations. Since then, our fraternal relations have been going on through thick and thin for 56 years uninterrupted,” Zhuqiang stated.
Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zheng Zhuqiang chats with the Vision Group CEO Robert Kabushenga and Editor in Chief Barbara Kaija (R) during a visit to the Vision Group head offices.
The envoy said bilateral relations between the two countries have blossomed in a many ways, drawing Ugandan and Chinese people closer. “Scores of Chinese companies are doing business in Uganda, hundreds of Ugandan students are studying in China, thousands of people are travelling between China and Uganda every year and tens of thousands of Chinese and Ugandans are working hand in hand to build our two great nations,” he observes. In September, a new Summit of Forum on China-Africa Co-operation
(FOCAC) will be held in China, drawing new momentum into ChinaUganda friendly co-operation for mutual benefit.
Quoting a Chinese saying, Zhuqiang stated that the key to sound relations between states lies in the affi nity between their peoples. “People are the ultimate driving power to move the China-Uganda relations ahead and many stories are created along the journey,” he stated. “Please share your China story with us. As the Chinese ambassador to Uganda, I look forward to reading your interesting stories,” he said.
Guidelines
According to the guidelines, entrants in the competition must submit their essays to New Vision head office clearly marked MY CHINA STORY or send them to newera@newvision.co.ug
< mailto:newera@newvision. co.ug> The writer must state his/her name in full, address and phone number.
Entries must be typed and not be more than 1,000 words, clear and well written in English and must aptly capture any aspect of China. The stories to be considered should be personal accounts of one’s knowledge, view or experience of China. They must be original and not copied from online sources or elsewhere.
