So you think you can speak Chinese

University professors aren’t exactly known for assigning the clichéd ‘How-I-spent-my-summer-vacation’ essay, but if they were, Niko Bell would have the assignment beat.

After all, there aren’t too many students who can claim to be reality TV stars on Chinese television.

Mr. Bell related his summer experiences during the first scheduled talk of the Chinese Studies’ Speaker Series, held Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. in Room 2116 of the Marion McCain Building.

A third-year student studying journalism and international development, Mr. Bell came in first at a Chinese speech competition at McGill University in the spring. That victory won him an all-expenses-paid trip to China and a spot on the TV show Han yu qiao. Translating roughly as “Chinese Bridge,” the show pits university and college students from around the world against each other in a Chinese language competition. 

Chinese Studies Speakers Series Talks take place Wednesdays, 4 to 5 p.m. in Room 2116 of the Marion McCain Building, unless otherwise noted. Upcoming speakers and topics are: Sept. 30: Corrie Watt: Celebrating the Moon Festival Oct. 7: Chand Malik: Dictionaries and Electronic Sources Oct. 14: Teresa Cyrus: Travelling Tales: Home Style Tofu: A Vegetarian in China. Oct. 21: Xiuli Tong: Psycholinguistics: Keys to Learning to Read Chinese Words Oct. 28: Sean McDermott: Working in China Nov. 4: Bil MacMullin: Taiji Nov. 12: Simon Kow: Asian Cinema (Movie Night, Thursday 7:30 -10 p.m., Room 406, Dalhousie Arts Centre) Nov. 18: Kuan Xu: Chinese Economy Nov. 25: Michael Ungar: Youth in China Dec. 2: Andrew Fenton: Chinese Philosophy: Confucianism, Care Ethics and Bioethics

“It’s kind of like, ‘So you think you can speak Chinese’” explains Mr. Bell, who with his blonde, curly hair became instantly recognizable on the streets of Beijing. The show is watched by millions and its minutia discussed in chat rooms and message boards on the Internet. “I think the big draw of the show is the general weirdness of white people speaking Chinese.”

From Nelson, B.C., Mr. Bell was first introduced to the Chinese language while on a volunteer placement with Gap Canada in China after high school, and extended his stay by spending a semester at a Chinese university and traveling. He has continued his Chinese language study at Dalhousie with Prof. Shao-Pin Luo. 

The 120 contestants from 87 countries were required to prepare speeches and perform a Chinese cultural activity, such as a kung fu demonstration or a recitation of a classical poem. Mr. Bell decided to perform “xiangsheng,” the Chinese version of stand-up comedy.

“It was so big and so sudden that it was hard to even imagine what was happening,” he says, describing four whirlwind weeks in front of TV cameras in a competitive pressure-cooker environment. “We were ferried up to the TV station and did our thing and tried not to think of the millions of people who were watching.”

Mr. Bell was one of the very few Canadians to make the top-30 finals. He says he was almost relieved not to progress further and “was just as happy to watch the rest of competition on the television.”

After being in the public eye and having every moment scheduled, Mr. Bell says it’s cool to be just another student at Dal for the fall. “After being treated like a set piece at a TV station, it’s actually great to be back,” he says.