TUNISrgo303slot, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Seventeen Chinese language and music lovers from Tunisia on Wednesday participated in the final of the country's first Chinese song competition.

The participants performed Chinese pop songs and Peking operas during the two-hour event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Tunisia and organized by the Confucius Institute at Carthage University in the capital city of Tunis.

Ilhem Motamrirgo303slot, a Chinese language teacher and an amateur singer, clinched the championship in the adult group with her performance of "Chess Piece."

Motamri said she started teaching Chinese in 2004 and has been practicing singing Chinese songs since then.

She believed that a Tunisian female singer proficient in Chinese songs could spark curiosity among those around her to learn about the Chinese language and culture, which would enhance bilateral exchanges.

The winner of the juniors group is Zaineb Akili, a 17-year-old student who performed the pop song "Falling into the Light of Life" in Chinese.

"If you really love this language, you just need to feel the emotions hidden in the songs, then you can sing it easily," said Akili, who started studying Chinese two months ago.

Ahlem Ben Soussia, inspector and coordinator of the Chinese language in the Tunisian Ministry of Education, said that this event will encourage Tunisian students to study the Chinese language and discover Chinese music.■