From April 17 to 19, 2015, the 2015 East China Division College Student Debate Open Competition, hosted by Hobart and William Smith College, USA, and the China Debate Education Network (CDEN), was held at China Pharmaceutical University.
The competition lasted three days, with 72 teams comprising over 200 contestants and judges from 31 universities in seven provinces: Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, Shandong, Hubei, and Jiangsu. To ensure the fairness and impartiality of the competition, a high-level international judging panel was formed with over 30 well-known industry experts, including Professor Eric and Greg (visiting scholar from Shanghai International Studies University) from the United States, as well as Zeng Qingxi (champion of the Chinese group in the 2011 World University Debating Championship). They served as judges for this "Shennong Cup" competition.
Our college's 2011 student Zhang Xinjia and Guo Chen from the School of Foreign Languages represented Shanghai University of Finance and Economics in this English debate competition. After a tough competition in four group matches, they advanced to the semifinals with a total score ranking sixth. With an outstanding performance in the semifinals, they successfully progressed to the finals. In the final round, facing the debate topic “Our college will privatize the healthcare system,” the two students, as the opposition in the upper house, clearly articulated their views and showcased their unique characteristics, ultimately securing third place in the English group.
