On February 17, Taipei Municipal Association of Abacus and Mental Arithmetic held a grand International Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Olympic World Competition “2019 Celebrity Cup Abacus and Mental Arithmetic Award Competition” in the Heroes Hall of Chientan Youth Activity Center. President Cheng-Yen Yang made a meticulous plan for the event; Executive Director Zhong Jianmei and Competition Committee Chairman Li Haoqing made relevant preparations. During the competition, under the leadership of fair and impartial conference referee Chen Yanguang, the competition began with an oath ceremony headed by contestant Hu Yongxuan. Thanks to the assistance and cooperation of many teachers, the competition was a complete success.

This competition set a precedence for flash calculation PK performance competition. All children participating in the abacus calculation competition have equal opportunity to win. The top two contestants of each group came onto the stage to participate in the performance competition! They wrote the answers to the flash calculation on the signs, so that the children and parents in the audience seat can see how good the contestants are in mental arithmetic.

For the highly challenging “Celebrity Award Item-by-Item Competition”, the contestants must have a high degree of abacus and mental arithmetic ability. Only the top six contestants of the abacus and mental arithmetic celebrity group are eligible for this special competition. The competition was divided into four categories: multiplication, division, addition and subtraction, and mental arithmetic. The contestant with the highest score in each category won an RMB1,000 scholarship. In addition, the contestant Xie Kaijun with the highest total core won the celebrity award of RMB3,000.

The competition was followed by an award ceremony, which was officiated by Zhong Jianmei. The on-site atmosphere climaxed. First, President Cheng-Yen Yang and coach Chen Shizhong delivered speeches and introduced the distinguished guests on the scene, including Vice President Chen Yanguang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Chamber of Commerce Lin Yuanxiang, team leader Chen Yuru, and commissioner Le Tingxiu. The awarding process was also punctuated by lucky draw activities. The prizes were contributed by the Taiwan Provincial Chamber of Commerce and many other sponsors, and the entire award ceremony was jubilant. [Contributed by Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, Taiwan, China; text by Li Haoqing]