A teenager could be saying Ni Hao (Hello in Mandarin) to Beijing after reaching the finals of a national speech competition.
Igor Sterner was one of the pupils from Trinity School, Shirley Park, Croydon, who showed off their skills in Mandarin at the HSBC/ British Council Mandarin speaking competition.
And the 13-year-old is delighted to have got through to the finals in the individual speech tournament.
He said: "I am so pleased to have been selected for the finals.
"I’ve really enjoyed taking part in this competition - it has allowed me to take Chinese out of the classroom and has been great fun."
The prize is a trip to China.
Some of his classmates staged a traditional Chinese folk tale for the competition but unfortunately did not get through to the final which takes place on February 3 at the British Museum.
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