XJTLU wins awards in the national Japanese writing competition

In December 2025, the 8th "Coach Academy Cup" National Japanese Writing Contest announced its results, with XJTLU securing multiple honors. XJTLU Year 4 student Li Lin from the BA International Relations programme was awarded third prize in the non-professional group, while her instructors, Linke Chen and Yuchen Song, received the Excellent Instructor Award. XJTLU was also honored with the Outstanding Contribution Award for its overall performance in the contest.

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The contest is a highly competitive and prestigious national event, attracting over a hundred universities and schools across China each year, with submissions exceeding a thousand entries. It is widely regarded as one of the most valuable platforms for demonstrating Japanese writing proficiency in China.

The journey began in May 2025, when Linke Chen came across the contest announcement and was drawn to the creative essay topics.  She initiated JPL’s first entry and invited Yuchen Song to co-guide the students, forming a dedicated instructing team.

Starting in August, Linke Chen and Yuchen Song invited JPL students to participate, eventually forming a team of eight students. Over the next two months, the two instructors worked closely with each student, guiding them through multiple rounds of revision and polishing of their submissions, which included poetry, prose, and narrative essays. All eight final essays were submitted online in October.

In December, the contest results were officially announced. Among the winners was Li Lin, whose prose piece on autumn—written on the topic 「四季折々の美しさ－〇〇の季節に思うこと」(The Beauty of Each Season - Thoughts on the Season of __)—earned her third place nationally. This achievement reflects both her personal dedication and the solid language foundation built through JPL’s lessons.

The instructors, Linke Chen and Yuchen Song, were recognized with the “Excellent Instructor” award, while the university’s collective effort was acknowledged with the “Outstanding Contribution Award,” underscoring the high quality of all eight submissions.

"I am truly grateful for this wonderful surprise," said Lin Li upon receiving the news. "A special thank you must go to my Japanese teacher; your patient guidance meant more to me and felt even warmer than the award itself. I would also like to add that my year of learning at JPL truly made me realize the joy of studying foreign languages, especially Japanese. I sincerely hope I can continue learning it in the future. All in all, this contest was a valuable challenge that greatly improved my Japanese."

This accomplishment is particularly meaningful as it marks JPL's first entry into a national Japanese writing contest. “We are so happy with this result,” said Linke Chen. “It reflects the students’ hard work and the supportive environment of JPL.” Yuchen Song added, “The students’ creativity and commitment were inspiring, making this a truly rewarding process for everyone.”

Encouraged by this success, JPL plans to continue participating in high-level competitions, offering more students the opportunity to showcase their skills and gain national recognition.