中文
HOME
HOME / LATEST NEWS / Content

G8 Chinese Debate Club

April 6, 2022

Organized by the eighth-grade students of the Shanghai High School International Division, the Chinese Debate Club is a team that grew stronger and more experienced with its regular-basis debate competitions. In the debate prior to the club’s construction with East Shanghai High School, the students fully appreciated the charm of the Chinese language and rational thinking. This semester, initiated by students and featuring seminars and mock debate competitions as the main activities, the Chinese debate club has gained countless followers as soon as it was launched.

Twenty-four members were divided into six groups in the mock debate and regularly held debates between these groups. The audience was always packed, and the atmosphere was heated. After the debate, members gather to conduct a debate seminar, where they share their debating skills and conduct a meticulous and rigorous analysis while reviewing the previous competition.

In just half a semester, with three mock debate competitions, the members have gained countless experiences. They swam from the shallows of debate into the sea, from the offline, face-to-face competition to the online long-distance competition; the only thing that has never changed is their dedication and enthusiasm to debate. To the present, all the debate club members are united, each showing their talents and their style, strived for the success of their group, and made a brave play to advance to the next round.

Next, we will look back on the highlights of the first half of the semester!

Opening hosted on March 10 in Room 413 of the ZhenTao Building, the members launched an in-depth discussion on “Whether online public opinion makes our thinking more diverse or uniform?” which attracted many students to watch the debate.

During the competition, the affirmative and negative players raised many contentions due to their agile thinking. In the dialogue of attack and defense, they made a conceptual analysis of the keywords such as “network public opinion” and “our thinking” in the debate. They conducted comprehensive and in-depth thinking on the knowledge of communication science, philosophy, and other fields involved in this debate. Ms. Tian, as headteacher of the club and judge of the debate, made an objective and proper evaluation from the perspectives of teamwork, personal performance, and understanding of the debate. Furthermore, the comments from the audience have been remarkable, showing the excellent critical thinking ability of the students.

28810

The second session was held online on March 24th, with the debate “On the road of life, opportunities/endeavors are more important.” This is a classic debate that has been widely discussed, encompassing topics such as, “Which has the greater impact: spiritual pleasure or material satisfaction?” “What is the difference between opportunities and chance?” “Do opportunities and endeavors have mutual causality?” In response to these questions, the debaters on both sides responded due to their critical thinking, and the whole game was full of ecstatic air. The atmosphere was not affected by the location online of this debate.

After the end of the competition, the five judges expressed their opinions on the debate. They pointed out many problems that arose in the online debate competition. Still, it is undeniable that the contentions of both sides of the competition were condensed of wit and effort. Their hard work has left a profound memory in all our minds.

The third session continued online on March 31, with the debate titled “People should persist in pursuing their dreams/do their best under their ability.” This debate is a classic of value debates, testing both sides on their definition of “dreams.” These discussions raised many coherent questions from both sides, such as, “Is it wise to do what you can?” “Does the value orientation of perseverance lead people to success?” Both sides have their stance on pursuing a dream, and heated discussions sparked from these questions and the two sides’ contentions.

The game had its ups and downs, and the free debate session showed the tactic of understanding and trust among the team members of both sides. As one of the judges in this game, Ms. Yang, the High School Chinese Debate Club instructor, made an inspiring comment on the debate, providing a new perspective for the discussion analysis.

Let’s look forward to the next debate, a war of words and wits, marveling at the virtue of the Chinese language.

Written by 8-12 Samuel

Pictures by G8 Teachers

Edited by Huang Shiyuan, Brie Polette