A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest, to be held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from Oct. 16 to 30.

A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest, to be held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from Oct. 16 to 30. In the photo is a French student who takes part in the preliminary contest.

The candidates, aged from 15 to 20, must be from foreign countries and not native Chinese speakers, said a statement issued by the Chinese Language Council (CLC), the contest's organizer, here Thursday.

All of the candidates have passed the preliminary contests held in their own countries.

According to the organizer, the competition will have a top prize, five second prizes, 10 third prizes and a dozen prizes for special talents. The organizer will also launch an online vote for "the most liked candidate."

It was the third year China has held the contest.

"The competition not only tests the proficiency of Chinese language but also the candidates' capability to communicate across different cultures," the statement said.

All the candidates in the final will receive scholarships from the Chinese government, said Hu Hangyu, an official with the Education Bureau of the Chongqing Municipality, jointly organizing the contest.

They will also meet local Chinese students and live with Chinese families, Hu said.

"The competition is to meet the increasing demand for Chinese learning by foreign youngsters," said Xu Lin, the CLC director.

The CLC has also hosted similar contest for foreign college students since 2002.

China has been working to promote Chinese language learning abroad over the past few years.

According to the CLC, the country had 282 Confucius Institutes and 272 "Confucius Classrooms" in 88 countries and regions as of 2009 since the first one was established in 2004.