Zhusuan is an intangible cultural heritage of humanity recognized by UNESCO, carrying a thousand years of Chinese mathematical wisdom and craftsmanship. The 2026 9th Competition of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic of the World Association of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic (WAAMA) was precisely a grand gathering for inheriting this intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Eleven countries and regions and twenty-eight participating teams gathered to compete, jointly embarking on this international event belonging to intangible cultural heritage. This competition established diverse age groups, covering five major competitive groups: the Contestant Group, Group A, Group B, Group C, and Group D. In addition to the classic written events of Addition-and-Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division, it also incorporated two distinctive events, Flash Calculation and Marathon Calculation, comprehensively testing contestants' response cycle, accuracy, instant memory, and endurance of character.

The entire competition hall was solemn and orderly, with a dignified atmosphere. As a clear whistle sounded throughout the hall, the competition officially began. The hall instantly fell silent, leaving only the crisp and pleasant sound of abacus beads colliding one after another, interwoven with the faint sound of pen tips on paper, forming a moving melody in the competition hall. In the traditional events, participating students' hands rose and fell with flowing grace, their fingertips rapidly manipulating the abacus beads, clean and decisive in every movement, fully demonstrating solid skills honed through rigorous training.

The highly difficult Flash Calculation was a major highlight of the entire event. Contestants wore headphones to block out external interference, relying on the virtual abacus constructed in their minds to carry out high-speed calculations, completing answers with powerful concentration and instant memory, fully displaying the highest realm of abacus and mental arithmetic — "an abacus in the mind, calculations in an instant." The Marathon Calculation event focused on testing contestants' perseverance and stability. With a large number of questions and progressively increasing difficulty, prolonged calculation greatly tempered the character. The young contestants remained calm and steady, pressing on with gritted teeth even when physically and mentally exhausted, completing the entire course with resilience far beyond their years.

In this competition, our students faced the challenge calmly and fought bravely, winning First Prize in the Group A, Group B, and Group D Team Contests. While gaining honours on the international stage, they also gained valuable growth. This team honour was not the achievement of any single person, but depended on the unity and concerted efforts of all team members: the participating students belonged to different groups, each fulfilling their role, trusting one another, and supporting each other. Some consolidated the basic scores, while others tackled high-difficulty question types. In the competition hall, they united their strength and cooperated seamlessly, capturing three team First Prizes in one effort, vividly interpreting the spirit of collective honour and mutual progress.

This participation was both a competition of skills on the same stage and a tempering growth experience for the students. During the long preparation period, students stepped out of individual training modes and actively integrated into the collective; students with outstanding abilities proactively shared problem-solving techniques and corrected training gaps, while students with weaker foundations studied diligently and strove to catch up, advancing together through mutual help. Facing the pressure brought by international competition, the children encouraged each other and were tolerant of one another, shedding delicacy and timidity and gaining composure and responsibility. Many students broke through their character weaknesses, and their resilience, sense of responsibility, and team spirit all improved significantly. Accompanying parents also truly witnessed their children's transformation, increasingly understanding that abacus and mental arithmetic education is not merely skills training, but a quality education that tempers character, cultivates integrity, and broadens horizons.

Today, with the widespread adoption of digital technology, the traditional abacus has gradually faded from daily calculation scenarios, but abacus and mental arithmetic education has moved toward the world through a vivid living form of inheritance, becoming an important vehicle for cross-cultural exchange. At present, international exchange in abacus and mental arithmetic is becoming increasingly frequent, and the competition system is continuously improving. However, the industry still faces practical problems such as one-sided public perception, emphasis on skills over culture, uneven teaching standards, and weak cultural awareness among young people. The living inheritance of intangible cultural heritage still requires sustained and deepened efforts.

Based on this international competition experience, we now offer several suggestions regarding the development of abacus and mental arithmetic competitions and intangible cultural heritage inheritance: First, optimize the competition system, uphold tradition while innovating. Retain the core traditional calculation events, standardize the scoring criteria for distinctive events, and add performances of ancient abacus techniques, achieving the goal of transmitting skills and promoting culture through competition. Second, deepen cultural popularization and enrich the cultural core of the competition. Relying on international competitions, hold thematic exhibitions on abacus culture and ancient calculating instruments, and use new media to disseminate the thousand-year history of the abacus, transforming the public's fixed and stereotyped impressions. Third, adhere to educating the mind and nurturing character, with equal emphasis on skills and virtue. Promote standardized teacher training, balancing competitive training with quality education, and cultivate children's concentration, resilience, and team awareness during teaching and preparation. Fourth, empower inheritance through technology, preserving the old while exploring the new. Use digital resources to assist teaching and exchange, while firmly upholding hand-operated abacus calculation and mental arithmetic as the core essence. Fifth, deepen international collaboration, share experience and resources, and promote the continuous and enduring global dissemination of abacus culture.

A single bead rising and falling holds the universe; a single calculation in a square inch reveals the original aspiration. The rankings and awards on the competition field will eventually settle, but the qualities of concentration, resilient will, and team spirit forged through this event, along with the original aspiration of carrying forward intangible cultural heritage, will endure and remain ever fresh. May the thousand-year charm of the abacus be passed on from generation to generation, and may Chinese intangible cultural heritage continue to radiate brilliant splendour on the world stage.

Contributed by: Creative Abacus Association, Hong Kong SAR, China