May was a busy month for debate in China. In addition to the National tournament outside of Beijing, May also held the IDEA-XJTU International Debate Tournament from the 22nd to the 24th.Hosted on the campus of Xi'an Jiaotong , the tournament had a one-day training and demonstration debate, followed by five preliminary rounds and two elimination rounds. Over 140 students participated in British Parliamentary Debate in separate English and Mandarin-language tracks. In the English division, many students chose to continue the tradition of "frienship teams," pairing visiting American students with Chinese students for the tournament.
Tournament topics centered on domestic and foreign policy. In semi-finals, both divisions debated the motion, "In developing nations with rapidly growing populations, the UN should promote a one child policy," while "China should eliminate affirmative action for Chinese ethnic minorities" was the motion for the final round. Congratulations to XJTU for fielding the top debaters in both divisions!
Kind thanks is owed to Dean Chen for her hardwork and hospitality in hosting the tournament, and the Mandarin and English trainers for lending their expertise. Hope to see you next year!
Semi-finals in the Mandarin division.
One of the neatest flows I've seen.
Difficult decisions.
