The global finale of the Cantonese Singing Contest, organised by Qingyuan, was recently held with great success. Launched in September, the competition set up regional rounds in multiple cities across the UK, U.S., Canada, Australia, and China, drawing participants from Chinese communities worldwide.

Currently, Cantonese is spoken by over 120 million people globally, with 90 million speakers in core regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, and Macau, plus more than 20 million overseas Chinese spread across Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas. While deeply rooted in cultural memory and emotional identity for many, Cantonese now faces the challenge of declining usage among younger generations. This contest was created to help young people rediscover the cultural richness of the language, encourage its daily use, and ensure its transmission to future generations.

The live atmosphere was both intimate and uplifting. From nostalgic folk tunes to contemporary pop hits, familiar melodies had both local youngsters and overseas Chinese singing along. Many contestants shared that Cantonese plays a vital role in strengthening their cultural identity, regardless of where they are, they will keep promoting Cantonese worldwide and preserving their mother tongue.