UM Mandarin Debating Team – Demo Debate Contest was held successfully

UM Mandarin Debating Team – Demo Debate Contest was successfully held last Friday (25 August 2023). This demo contest attracted the enthusiastic participation of over 200 audience members, demonstrating the passion of students at the university for debate and their desire for knowledge exploration.

The competition adopted a four-against-one debate format, with four debaters from the team versus their coach Dr. Liu Jingjing. The participating debaters were Hong Bingjing from FED and CKLC, Xiong Yunjie from FED and MCMC, Lai Lok Lam from FBA and LCWC and Zhang Yupeng from FAH and CKLC. Following the audience vote, the coaching team emerged as the winner with a vote advantage of 90 to 50. The debate topic for this competition was “Should we embark on an irreversible adventure,” which sparked intense debates and garnered extensive attention from the audience. The debaters showcased excellent debating skills and thinking abilities, exploring the merits and drawbacks of embarking on an irreversible adventure from different perspectives, challenging traditional notions and prompting the audience to contemplate and explore the concept of adventure. They demonstrated outstanding debate skills, thinking abilities, and proficiency in Mandarin expression.

The selection of this debate topic aims to encourage the audience to contemplate the relationship between adventure and comfort, igniting their courage and enthusiasm in breaking through themselves and seeking new experiences. At the same time, through the format of debate, we hope to cultivate students’ ability in critical thinking and analytical judgment when facing complex issues. The active thinking and participation of the audience injected more vitality and significance into this performance competition. Through such activities, we hope to further stimulate students’ interest in debate, as well as enhance their abilities in critical thinking and oral expression.

UM Mandarin Debating Team won the third place at the “Youth Voices, International Chinese Smoking Control Debate Tournament”

The UM Mandarin Debating Team achieved the honor of third place in the recent “Youth Voices, International Chinese Smoking Control Debate Tournament” which took place in Beijing, China.  The debate tournament was jointly organized by the Peking University Student Debate Association and the Peking University Student Health Communication Association. A total of 12 international teams participated, including Peking University, Renmin University of China, Wuhan University, Tianjin University, Shandong University, Nankai University, China University of Political Science and Law, Guangxi Medical University, Monash University, Hong Kong Baptist University, the London College Joint Team and the University of Macau (in no particular order).

The contest aimed to actively encourage young people to participate in shaping a “smoke-free culture” through debating. The outstanding performance of the University of Macau team attracted the attention of judges and spectators. In the preliminary rounds, participants Wang Hao Ran from FAH and CKYC, Xiong Yunjie from FED and MCMC and Lei Junyan from FST represented the University of Macau. They engaged in a splendid debate on the topic of “Public places’ smoking ban relies more on venue operators’ management/law enforcement supervision”. In the semifinals, Xiong Yunjie, Chen Caixuan from FSS and MLC, and Chi Jingyu from FBA and MCMC continued to fight for the contest. They demonstrated profound academic knowledge and a sincere sense of social responsibility on the topic of “In today’s society, young students should not accept financial donations from tobacco companies”, fully showcasing the strength and influence of the University of Macau in the field of debate.

After the contest, members from the debating team were interviewed by the organizers. They mentioned that they extensively collected data during the preparation process and achieved excellent results in the intense competition through teamwork and in-depth research. They expressed great pride and satisfaction in winning the third place among such strong international teams. They also emphasized that the competition was not only a learning experience but also a reconsideration of the importance of smoking control issues. They hope to contribute to the promotion of smoking control through their efforts. The outstanding performance of the University of Macau in the “Youth Voices, International Chinese Smoking Control Debate Tournament” injected new vitality into global smoking control campaigns. It is believed that the University of Macau will continue to achieve more outstanding results in various fields and contribute more to social development in the future.

(The detailed content is subjectedto the Chinese version).

“2023 Macau Youth Band Summer Camp” was successfully held

More than 60 local youth students from local high schools participated in the three-day music training camp “2023 Macau Youth Band Summer Camp” on July 30, organized by the University of Macau Student Affairs Office, University of Macau Symphonic Band and Macau Band Directors Association.

The music summer camp invited outstanding local wind instrument instructors and performers to provide students with a practice system from personal to ensemble levels to enhance training efficiency and improve their performance skills. The team of instructors included Leong Pui Leong, instructing the flute, oboe and bassoon, Cheang Ka In instructing the clarinet, Loi Hon Cheong instructing the saxophone, Leong U Pan instructing the French horn, Ng Sa instructing the trumpet, Lin Teng Kun instructing the trombone, Sam Ka Lon instructing the tuba and euphonium and U Ngai Un instructing the percussion. Through team building activities and peer learning with instructors, students can personally experience the fun of playing in a wind band.

The students of the summer camp stayed in the N1-UM Guest House, during which instructors and student representatives from the University of Macau Symphonic Band served as volunteers to take care of the students’ daily lives. The students were led by UM PR Student Ambassadors to visit the Wall of Great Wisdom, one of the residential colleges, UM Gallery, and Wu Yee Sun Library, as well as the University of Macau Museum of Art led by the library tour guide, to understand the campus culture of the university and experience the strong academic and artistic atmosphere.

On the last day of the wind band summer camp, the students held a report performance and closing ceremony at UM-Student Activity Centre, sharing their learning achievements and precious memories, and had invited their parents to attend the ceremony. The local young students who participated in this summer camp came from various schools in Macau, including Escola Choi Nong Chi Tai , Kao Yip Middle School, Keang Peng School, Macau Baptist College, Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ School, Pooi To Middle School, Sacred Heart Canossian College English Section, Santa Rosa de Lima English Secondary School, School of the Nations, Sheng Kung Hui Choi Kou School (Macau) and Yuet Wah College.

The chairman of the Macau Band Association, Leung Kin Hang, stated that art can train young people’s sensory thinking, imagination, and creativity, and it should start with basic education, systematically cultivate students’ recognition of art from an early age, and cultivate critical thinking and aesthetic awareness towards things.