In the blink of an eye, the Bilingual Debate Competition at Shanghai High School has entered its seventh year. Over these seven years, the bridge of friendship through debate has not only been firmly established within the campus but has also witnessed the brilliance and growth of students from both local and international divisions on the bilingual debate stage. The debate clubs of both divisions have thrived both within and outside the school, achieving numerous honors through relentless efforts and perseverance. Throughout these seven years, the profound friendship among the students and the remarkable improvement in bilingual abilities have been witnessed. From the freshmen debate competition at the beginning of high school to the bilingual debate competition towards the end of the semester, each step has been filled with effort and perseverance. At the same time, we deeply appreciate the careful guidance of every judge in and outside the school over these seven years, as well as the selfless dedication of volunteer teachers and students in every aspect of the competition.

From the preliminary stage's bilingual round, to the thrilling performances in the finals, this year's Bilingual Debate Competition featured randomly selected teams, adding more uncertainty and freshness to each encounter. The increased interaction between the two divisions also brought unexpected surprises. After a series of intense battles, the ultimate showdown took place on December 5th, 2023, in the Lecture Hall of the Zhentao Building.

Final Round Judges

In this year's final, the judging panel was composed of seven judges, including popular teachers from both local and international divisions of Shanghai High School, as well as professional guests. This year, we were fortunate to have two special guest judges for guidance: Ms. Meng Qin, News Editor of SMG Dragon TV as well as producer and host of Yicai, and Professor He Jing, Associate Professor of the English Department and Deputy Director of the Speech and Debate Center of the Foreign Languages School at Fudan University.

The theme of this final competition focused on the impact of ChatGPT on education: whether the challenges outweigh the opportunities or the opportunities outweigh the challenges. In this brilliant verbal battle, the debaters on both sides, with impassioned enthusiasm and solid arguments, fully demonstrated their debating talents and deep-thinking abilities. Each debater's personality was vividly showcased on stage, with some being calm and composed, narrating eloquently, while others were impassioned and fervent, displaying a powerful presence. It is noteworthy that this debate featured both newcomers participating for the first time and experienced veterans who had been consistently involved in debate for three years. Their outstanding performances created a high-level debate feast for the audience. At the same time, the debate prompted the audience to engage in profound reflections on the emerging technology of ChatGPT, exploring how to comprehensively understand its potential and challenges in the field of education.

The Pro Side Debaters

The Con Side Debaters

After 40 minutes of intense debate, the judges also gave in-depth comments from different perspectives. Professor He Jing mainly analyzed the debate skills and gave full recognition to both sides' performances. She also put forward some suggestions, such as understanding the essence of learning in the debate topic, being good at finding the defects in the opponents' viewpoints, and making the debates more incisive. Ms. Meng Qin commended the debaters' excellent performances in the various stages, and all of them had impressive moments.  From the perspective of practical application, she particularly mentioned that the debaters kept up with the trend of technology and were able to keenly capture heated topics. At the same time, she also encouraged the students to face the changes bravely in the era of artificial intelligence, maintain independent critical thinking, and convey more powerful energy.

Award Ceremony

Vincent from SHSID won the “Best Debater” title.

The Pro Side won runner-up title.

The Con Side won the Championship.

The story of the bilingual debate competition continues, and we anticipate even more brilliant pages to be written in the years to come.

(Written by The 7th SHS & SHSID Bilingual Debate Organizing Committee     Pictures by SHS Media Center)