The China Daily "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition was held from Monday to Wednesday, attracting more than 400 contestants from all over the country who had passed through three rounds of regional competitions to enter the national grand final.

They gathered online and talked about their most resolute decisions in life and their views on China's development in the past decades.

Fan Yuehang from Xi'an Jiaotong University was crowned champion in the college category, and Wu Dongxu from Hangzhou Foreign Languages School took home top honors in the senior high category.

The winners of these two categories will represent China in the 2023 International Public Speaking Competition organized by the English Speaking Union.

"For a long time, I thought public speaking was all about personal attention and opportunities," said 10-year-old Li Enzuo, at the award ceremony.

After being crowned champion in his age category in the competition last year, Li has come to realize that "public speaking is a form of empowerment. ... It raises awareness about things that matter. It urges people to take collective action to overcome a difficulty. It makes a difference in things we care about."

This is exactly why the 21st Century Cup was initiated in 1996 in the first place — to provide a stage for young people all over the country so that their voices can be heard, said Ren Xiaoping, a former ambassador, and also a professor at China Foreign Affairs University and the University of International Business and Economics when commenting on the contestants performances during the award ceremony.

Zhao Deyu, 22, a contestant in the college category in this year's competition, shared his experience of being diagnosed with bone cancer six years ago, going through what seemed to be endless chemotherapy and coping with life after his left leg was amputated.

"The world is unfair, but don't let that get you down," Zhao said, speaking at the award ceremony. "Let every minute count and you will find that pain you have endured is just a small part of your life. It is up to you to paint the blank parts of life's canvas."

The competition has also grown into a platform for young people in China to tell their stories to the world. The 21st Century Cup has become the Chinese selection competition for the International Public Speaking Competition held in London every May.

Yang Kangqi, 20, a student at Fudan University and winner of last year's college group competition, represented China in this year's IPSC.

Despite being the national champion, Yang admitted that she still had worries when preparing her speech for an international audience because they are "unfamiliar", she said. "They did not share the same values or the same culture as we do, and they might have different preferences and expectations," she said while sharing her experience at the award ceremony on Wednesday.

Eventually, Yang chose to focus on health-related topics, something that as a medical student herself she is familiar with. She also spoke about the dilemmas faced by working mothers, something that the whole world can resonate with. Thanks to her excellent ability to think both locally and globally and her skills in telling the China story, Yang took home the championship at this year's IPSC.

This is the appeal of the stage of the 21st Century Cup as it allows young people's voices and ideas to be heard, by the rest of the country and even by the whole world. But it doesn't just stop there, because great changes always start with words and ideas.

In Li's speech he cited the words of great historical figures such as Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln, both excellent public speakers. He also shared the example of Emma Ye, a 10-year-old Asian-American in California, who made an impassioned speech in March last year against racial hatred that inspired millions of people worldwide to take action.

"As a public speaker I can say that hearing and seeing an audience appreciate what one says can be a satisfying thing," said Li. "But much more satisfying is realizing that you and those who listen to you can change the world together."