68 Finalists Shine at the 2nd Charlotte Cup Chinese Poetry Recitation Contest Grand Final
- Daheng Xiong
- May 10
- 6 min read
Updated: May 21
On Sunday, May 10, 2026, Charlotte Chinese Story Time proudly hosted the Grand Final of the 2nd Charlotte Cup Chinese Poetry Recitation Contest at Fullwood Theater in Matthews, North Carolina.
This year’s contest received 168 applications from young Chinese language learners across different communities. After the preliminary video round, 70 students advanced to the Grand Final. Due to last-minute changes, 68 finalists ultimately took the stage on May 10 to share their voices, confidence, and love for Chinese poetry.
For many children, this event was more than a competition. It was a chance to stand on stage, speak with courage, connect with language, and experience the beauty of Chinese poetry in front of a supportive community.
A Year of Preparation and Community Effort
The success of this year’s contest was built on months of planning, outreach, and collaboration.
Planning began nearly a year in advance. In May 2025, Charlotte Chinese Story Time secured the venue contract with Fullwood Theater for the 2026 Grand Final. In July 2025, CCST submitted a Culture Blocks grant application, which was approved in late November. By December, the team began preparing promotional materials, and the contest officially launched on January 1, 2026.
From there, CCST continued outreach to local Chinese immersion schools, Chinese language programs, weekend Chinese schools, North Carolina Chinese teacher networks, and families across the region. The strong response reflected a growing need for high-quality, community-based opportunities for children to learn, practice, and celebrate the Chinese language.
Supporting Students Before They Took the Stage
To help students prepare for the contest, CCST offered four pre-contest recitation workshops led by Nina Chen, an experienced Chinese language and recitation instructor.
Through these workshops, students learned how to understand a poem, use their voices with expression, build stage presence, and bring meaning to their recitation. The workshops reflected an important part of CCST’s mission: not only to host a competition, but also to create meaningful learning opportunities for children and families.
A Stage for Many Voices
This year’s finalists represented a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and learning journeys. Some came from Chinese-speaking families, while others came from non-heritage or multicultural homes. Some were just beginning their Chinese learning journey, while others challenged themselves with more complex classical and modern poems.
Ages 3–6 Recitation Contestants
Ages 7–10 Recitation Contestants
Ages 11–15 Recitation Contestants
What they shared was the courage to step onto the stage and express themselves in Chinese.
The contest also welcomed families and students from beyond the Charlotte area, including South Carolina, Raleigh, and Minnesota. Their participation showed the growing reach of the Charlotte Cup and the shared commitment among families and educators to support Chinese language learning.
One special highlight was the participation of students organized by Peggy Tsai, an educator from Minnesota and one of this year’s Outstanding Organization Award recipients. Her students achieved strong results in multiple age divisions, and her presence reflected the spirit of dedication and community that this contest hopes to inspire.
For CCST, some of the most meaningful moments were not only about awards, but about seeing children with different learning backgrounds and different levels of confidence step onto the stage and be celebrated. This is the deeper purpose of the contest: to create a space where every child can be seen, encouraged, and supported.
A Smoother, Stronger, and More Meaningful Experience
“Compared with last year, the contest felt much more mature, organized, and smooth,” said Jenny Zhan, Founder of Charlotte Chinese Story Time. “It was wonderful to see so many months of preparation come together so beautifully on stage.”
That growth was visible throughout the day. The theater was filled with families and community members, while the audience remained quiet and respectful during each performance. Contestants were seated by division, phones were silenced, and food and drinks were kept outside the theater to create a focused and supportive environment for every child on stage.
Behind the scenes, volunteers worked quickly and carefully to keep the event running smoothly. Awards, certificates, and prizes were prepared in advance and arranged in order. After each competition round, certificates were updated immediately and placed according to the award sequence.
These details may seem small, but they made a meaningful difference. They reflected CCST’s commitment to creating an experience that was not only joyful, but also thoughtful, respectful, and well organized.
This year’s Grand Final was also a celebration of youth leadership. The awards ceremony was hosted by Andrew Hydak, who won First Place Award in the Ages 11–15 Non-Heritage Speaker category at the first Charlotte Cup Chinese Recitation Contest in 2025 and earned First Place Award again in 2026.
Andrew also served as one of the youth hosts for CCST’s first Children’s Lunar New Year Showcase in 2026. On stage, he guided the ceremony with confidence, warmth, and professionalism, moving naturally between English and Chinese.
Judge Nina Chen praised his performance, noting that Andrew’s hosting was polished, confident, and highly professional. His growth from contestant to youth host reflects one of CCST’s most important goals: to give children meaningful opportunities to build confidence, leadership, and a lasting connection with the Chinese language.
For CCST, Andrew’s story is a powerful example of what long-term encouragement, family support, and community opportunities can make possible.
With Gratitude to Our Sponsors and Supporters
This event would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors, partners, volunteers, judges, teachers, and families.
Charlotte Chinese Story Time extends our deepest gratitude to ASC Culture Blocks, our Title Sponsor, for supporting this year’s contest. Culture Blocks is a community partnership funded by Mecklenburg County, and its support played a vital role in making this meaningful cultural and educational event possible for children and families across our community.
We are also sincerely grateful to Ms. Anna, United Chinese Americans (UCA), and the United Chinese American Community Foundation (UCACF) for their generous support of the awards, certificates, and prizes for our contestants. Their contributions helped us recognize the hard work of each child and create a memorable experience for all participating families.
Together, our sponsors helped make the Grand Final not only possible, but truly special for every child who stepped onto the stage.
A Celebration of Language, Culture, and Community
In addition to the awards ceremony, the Grand Final also featured five wonderful stage performances that added music, movement, and celebration to the event. We invite you to enjoy these special moments from the 2026 Charlotte Cup Chinese Poetry Recitation Contest Grand Final.
Violin Ensemble — Larisa’s Music Studio
Solo Singing — “Part of Your World” by Enya Jia
Chinese Song and Fan Dance — “Chinese Youth”
Solo Dance — “Poetic Jiangnan” by Jinchan Fu
Dance — “A Lovely Girl” by Wee Dance Academy
As the Grand Final came to a close, all award recipients, judges, guests, volunteers, and members of the organizing team were invited to the stage for a final group photo. Children proudly held their certificates, trophies, and prizes, while families gathered in front of the stage to capture the moment.
The theater was filled with smiles, applause, and gratitude. Children from different backgrounds stood together on one stage, celebrating not only their achievements, but also the courage it took to speak, perform, and share Chinese poetry with the community.
After the event, parent groups and judge communication channels were filled with heartfelt messages of appreciation. Many parents shared how meaningful it was to see children growing up in an English-dominant environment recite Chinese poetry with confidence and emotion. Others expressed gratitude for the platform CCST created for children to be encouraged, recognized, and inspired.
Judges also reflected on the impact of the day. Several first-time judges shared that they were deeply moved by the children’s performances and by the energy of the community. They noted how inspiring it was to see young learners from many backgrounds speak Chinese with such dedication and feeling. Returning judges also praised the growth of the contest and the strong spirit of support among families, teachers, volunteers, and organizers.
For CCST, the Grand Final was more than a competition. It was a celebration of language, culture, confidence, and belonging.
Every child who stepped onto the stage carried a story of effort. Every family in the audience represented support and love. Every teacher, volunteer, judge, and sponsor helped create a space where Chinese language learning could be seen, heard, and celebrated.
As we look ahead, Charlotte Chinese Story Time remains committed to building meaningful cultural and educational experiences for children and families in the Charlotte community and beyond.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who made this year’s contest possible. Thank you for believing in our children, supporting Chinese language education, and helping this community continue to grow.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back for the 3rd Charlotte Cup Chinese Poetry Recitation Contest on Saturday afternoon, April 10, 2027.
See you next year!
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