The 5th Chinese Bridge Competition, a Chinese proficiency contest for foreign secondary school students, has begun in Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province, and will continue until Nov 26.

The competition, organized by China's National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, or Hanban, is themed "Learn Chinese, Double Your World" this year.

More than 100 contestants from 45 countries will compete in areas such as writing in Chinese, preparing speeches, performing in talent shows, knowing basic facts about China and learning tasks in ethnic villages.

Winning contestants will have the opportunity to study in China. The first-prize winner will receive a full scholarship for four years of Chinese-language study in China.

To increase foreign teenagers' interest in Chinese, Hanban has held the contest since 2008 and has watched the number of participants grow.