Chinese debaters: out of their comfort zone, and winning!

By Tony and Oscar

The RCHK Chinese debate team has joined and won several competitions over the past year. Amongst those are victories against Li Po Chun United World College, King George V School, and the West Island school, and many other strong opponents. To understand what the Chinese debate team does so well in competitions, and how to join, questions are answered below by Yuki Luo, the team leader-to-be.

How did the formation of the team come about? Did your team come across any difficulties and what were they?

In the beginning, there were many struggles as the team had just formed, so we weren't that used to the process of preparation for the debate competitions. However, over time, we got better at communicating our ideas to each other and we were more experienced in how to prepare for the competitions, so the process is much smoother and more efficient.

What kinds of topics are debated?

There are a variety of topics discussed in the debate, including ethical, philosophical, and factual topics. For example, in one of the most recent debates we participated in, we discussed whether money could buy bliss. Other interesting topics include whether the government should announce the end of the world to the public, knowing that it is destined to happen in three days. To effectively debate these topics, we have to become knowledgeable in different fields such as technology, economy, and psychology.

Is your team currently recruiting new members?

This depends on what our current Year 12 leaders (Jay He, Jenny Chan, and Marvin Lin) decide to do, as they are the ones who decide all the interviews and who to recruit. The debate team recruited many people this year. However, I'm sure that there will be some opportunities to sign up for the debate team in the future! 

How does it feel to become the leader/president for the Chinese debate club?

There are many leaders in our debate team, and I was recently recruited to spectate the work of all the leaders for the Chinese debate club to gain experience for my future leadership. I am very grateful for this opportunity to help others in the debate team, and I hope this would help me become a better leader.

What challenges do members of the team need to face in order to win the competition?

Firstly, you need to gain some experience in order to compete. This can first be done through listening, for example, through being a member of the audience for the competitions to get a sense of what debating is about. Experience can also be gained by joining our coaching sessions with our debate coach – Mr Yiqi. This would help you understand the basics of debate. Then you could start practicing your debate skills by being the opposition of the team that is going to compete with the other schools. This not only helps the team to prepare for what the opponents will say next, but it also helps with your research and communication skills. After that you can take up the opportunities to compete, and of course throughout all this, the other team members will help you along as well!

How do you and your team feel about the most recent competition?

Since it was a finalist competition with limited time to prepare, our team was slightly nervous. However, we were happy to gain more experience and also compete with other international schools.

What are the necessary skills for being a good Chinese debater?

I would say that you could learn many skills along the way, but the most basic is to have a decent level of Chinese speaking skills to be able to communicate your ideas.

Any additional comments/advice for aspiring Chinese debaters?

Challenge yourself! Joining the debate team was way out of my comfort zone, but I took on the challenge and actually found a passion for it! This sounds cliche but it is true that you have to challenge yourself to see improvement.