Ghanaian students give performances themed on traditional Chinese culture in Accra, Ghana, May 3, 2019. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)

ACCRA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- For Nathan Ankrah, a 24-year-old Ghanaian student, winning the 18th Chinese Bridge Qualifying Competition in Ghana "means a lot" to him.

The competition held here Friday awarded the young winner with one free ticket to China for the final contest, which made Nathan, who stands in the limelight, feel a mixture of "happiness and nervousness."

Before the competition, Nathan already had an opportunity of studying in Taiyuan, capital of central China's Shanxi province, where he gained a deep perception of the Chinese language and Chinese culture.

"Studying Chinese gives me a lot of opportunities, especially job opportunities and scholarships. I once worked as a translator, because I know Chinese culture," he said.

Eugene Akoto, who is a contestant in the competition and also a big fan of traditional Chinese culture, performed Pingshu, a traditional oral art form of entertainment in China, won lasting applause from the audience.

Having been studying Chinese for nearly five years, Eugene is looking forward to landing a job in a Chinese enterprise based in Ghana, since he knows graduates proficient in Chinese are being desperately needed by Chinese companies there.

Ishmael Mensah, Ghanaian chief of the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Coast, and also a judge of this competition, said the students have gone through years of studying Chinese, and the level of their proficiency is very encouraging.

The fever of local students studying Chinese will continue as the cultural exchange between the two countries deepens, and all Ghanaian students majoring in Chinese could see promising opportunities from it, said Chu Beijuan, chief of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana.