As the Chinese Writing Contest 2026 gets into full swing, it is worth revisiting Friedrich Nietzsche’s seminal work on education. What he observed over a century ago remains relevant today, and I highly recommend reading his speeches in full.

With the opening day for the MSL Master Chinese Writing Contest 2026 less than two weeks away, it is the perfect time to review an area that often trips up language learners: Chinese punctuation marks.

Using punctuation correctly is vital for a qualifying entry. However, because Chinese punctuation rules differ from English, many second-language learners find them confusing. For instance, because Chinese lacks capital letters to signal proper nouns or book titles, it relies on entirely unique punctuation marks.

The MSL Master Chinese Writing Contest 2026 officially opens for submissions on August 1!

To ensure your entry successfully passes the initial screening and qualifies for the public vote, use this simple pre-submission checklist. Qualified entries will be published anonymously on our website, and public voting will take place on X.

It is officially that time of year. Last year, I made a promise: Chinese Writing Contest would return, continuing to showcase the raw power of human expression and skills. 

Today, I am happy to announce that the promise is kept. MSL Master Chinese Writing Contest 2026 will be welcoming your submission this August!

It is with deep regret that I am announcing the cancellation of MSL Master Chinese Writing Contest 2025. 

The reason is simple. We have received a total of 13 submissions, but 5 of them used Chinese characters that are outside of the designated 320 characters, and therefore were disqualified automatically.

September 16, the closing date for Chinese Writing Contest 2025, is coming soon.

Don’t miss it!

And it’s in Hong Kong time (GMT + 8) 🤞

As we are approaching the end of August, how is your story coming along?

The closing date for Chinese Writing Contest, Sep 16, is inching up, it’s worth reminding all aspiring Chinese language writers that, sooner or later, all you need to do is to sit there and struggle. 

Indeed, at one point, all writers have to do is to sit there and struggle.

August 1st, the opening day of Chinese Writing Contest 2025, is drawing closer. 

In this series of posts aiming to help you improve your writing skills, it is time to focus on character building, i.e. how to make your characters alive and convincing. 

There are many ways to do this. But it all comes down to one thing, a character’s bio.

The majority of submissions during the previous Chinese Writing Contests were short stories. While some were exceptionally good, some were really confusing. I hope that 2025 could be a little bit better, with more of the former and less of the latter.

This is the reason that we’re going to talk a little bit about the 4C in story telling. I’ll use some best entries from previous years to illustrate.

The bragging rights that participants of our tiny Chinese Writing Contest are that their work will be published in a traditional book form, with free audio version available online. This year, we will see the publication of Easy-to-Read Chinese Short Stories, Book 5. 

A place in the book is not guaranteed. You have to write well to demonstrate a high level of dexterity and strength in your language abilities. The following 5-step guide might help.

You’ve decided to participate in this year’s Chinese Writing Contest. 

You have found yourself a comfortable place with a nice cup of tea. You have placed a piece of paper in front of you, or a blank computer screen. You’ve reminded yourself that the submission starts on August 1, 2025.

The only thing that is not here is … an idea that you can write about. 

The first Chinese Writing Contest was launched in 2021. It was started as a response to an ongoing prevalent belief among Chinese language learners, teachers and test authorities, who have championed the idea that students must learn one or two thousand of Chinese characters, just to get started with their reading and writing Chinese. Some books are sold as foundation materials, offering only 800-1000 individual characters.

This is misleading.

MSL Master Chinese Writing Contest 2025 is receiving submissions on August 1. 

If you’re worried that you have not learned all of the required 320 Chinese characters yet, or you’re not sure that you can use them in sentences and paragraphs, worry no more. Help is right here!

112 YouTube videos and Chinese reading and writing worksheets are here to teach you all the required Chinese characters and to enable you to use them effectively in sentences and paragraphs.

Hey fellow Chinese language learners! It's that time of the year. Time to show off your creativities and Chinese writing skills with 320 Chinese characters.

Get ready for Chinese Writing Contest 2025! It's bragging time! 😀

In this contest, depth is valued more than quickness, ingenuity more than vitality, and creativity more than erudition.  

The fourth book in the series, Easy-to-Read Chinese Short Stories, Book 4, is now available! Year after year, Chinese Writing Contest participants have demonstrated that the creative space is indeed boundless.

Today, let’s celebrate the talent and imagination of these Chinese language learners from diverse backgrounds, and also read what this year’s three winners said about writing.