Judge—Ms.Yujie Li,
TUHS English Teacher
As the first TUHS&THIS Bilingual Debate Tournament, the “No Questions Asked” online debate tournament was well organized and clearly structured, giving a platform for the contestants from TUHS and THIS to showcase themselves. All the debaters were well prepared, and they showed their bilingual debating ability and discernment in both the argument and questioning sessions, as well as in the confrontation and closing arguments. I believe that this competition has really achieved the purpose of “co-inspire”, which is undoubtedly a successful pioneering attempt. I hope that there will be more cooperation between TUHS and THIS in the future, so as to promote the interaction between students and help both sides make progress together!
Judge—Tianyi Zhang,
TUHS Outstanding Graduate
It is lucky for me to be a listener and to enjoy a great exchange of ideas brought to me by the students. I could hear that the students wanted to show off their arguments on the field, but is the value of the debate really in the points that are ultimately proven on the field? In fact, in my opinion, not really. I think debates require us to enter the other side’s context based on understanding, discuss calmly and sincerely, compare rationally and objectively, and finally reach a conclusion. After we put aside our prejudices and obsessions, and let go of winning and losing, the debate field is finally left with the collision of ideas, so that we can really achieve co-inspiration.
Judge—Winston Qian,
THIS Outstanding Debater
As a judge, it was a truly extraordinary experience to see the melding of many different styles, mindsets, cultures and languages into a fully formed debate, and I could feel that our debaters were starting to feel increasingly comfortable in each other’s presence, especially as the debate became more intense and passionate. I think all the debaters performed wonderfully as the first people ever to participate in such an event, especially considering the fact that we were online and some debaters were suffering COVID symptoms, and showed both intellect and respect in this event. I am very optimistic that the Co-Inspire Bilingual Debate will grow bigger and better in the future, and the bond between THIS and Tsinghua High School will only become stronger.
Judge—Mr. Andrew Gatewood,
THIS ELS Teacher
I was impressed by the great bilingual competence of both TUHS and THIS students! The talent and poise they showed on the debate floor made it a pleasure to listen to them play! I look forward to next year’s Bilingual Debate Tournament, and I will definitely support it!
Chairman—Kevin Wang,
Member of THIS Chinese Debate Club
I have participated in Chinese debates before, but this was a bilingual tournament. I moderated and watched the whole game, and I felt that the debaters played very well. The arguments and the play on the spot all made the tournament quite exciting. Of course, it may be because of the debating experience and preparation time. In fact, from my point of view, some arguments could be better and leave less angles for the opponents to attack. I hope this event can continue, no matter it is for the international department or the main office, it is a process of getting to know each other, and it is also a process of getting familiar with different environments and different ways of thinking. Winning and losing are not so important. If there is another session, I will definitely try to play the game myself!
Judge—Tianyi Wang,
THIS Outstanding Graduate
The idea of a bilingual debate was tossed around a few times during my senior year at THIS, but it never was fully thought out and executed. As a former Debate club exec — partially my fault. Coming back after three years and seeing that idea take the form of an actual debate tournament that not only included our students but also Fuzhong students was a very pleasant surprise. It’s always great to know that THIS is getting better and better every year. I look forward to the many new and innovative ideas that are to come.
Judge—Bill Xi,
THIS Outstanding Debater
As the judge who first proposed the topic, I have played and heard this topic many times myself, but the arguments and exchanges between the two sides on the field often made me feel brighter. With such a short preparation period, the impact of the pendemic, the high demands of the bilingual system, and the fact that TUHS members and THIS members did not know each other very well before, I was still able to present a very interesting competition with a high sense of communication. As a experienced member of THIS Chinese Debate Club, this competition also gave me some new inspirations and ideas. I sincerely hope that this kind of activities will continue, and that the debaters from TUHS and THIS will continue to learn from each other, grow together, and enjoy the fun of debating. I look forward to the upcoming events!
