Huaqiao University (HQU) student Brittany Devyna Vitalis’ mini documentary The Torchbearer won the Best Short Video Award at the 12th China Student Television Festival recently concluded in Fuzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium. Brittany is a Malaysian student in her third-year study of Television Broadcasting at HQU.

The Torchbearer tells the story of Teo Seng Chong, Sabah Malaysia’s father of Chinese orchestral music and a pioneer in the education of Chinese orchestral music. Though not a native of Sabah, Teo has dedicated himself to the promotion of Chinese orchestral music in Sabah and established Chinese orchestras in local schools. The mini documentary allows the audience to see the communication between Chinese and Malaysian cultures. Brittany said that she created The Torchbearer to present ethnic Chinese’s sheer pursuit of cultural inheritance in a foreign land as well as their influences on local societies. It has long been Brittany’s aspiration to record the blend of Chinese culture with Malaysian culture through video works. The 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Malaysia makes the perfect time. She chose Chinese orchestral music in Sabah as her theme, for it perfectly blends Chinese folk music with Malaysian music. “Teo’s story is a proof that one can still preserve and spread valuable cultural heritage through passion and practice even in exotic cultures.” said Brittany.

The 12th China Student Television Festival was co-hosted by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, China Television Artists Association, Communication University of China, China Education Television, the Education Department of Fujian Province and Fuzhou Municipal People’s Government. Themed “Promising Youth, Powerful Country”, the Festival encourages college students to enjoy, create and participate in tv works, and highlights the enterprising pursuits and missions of the Chinese youths in the new era.

Winners Receiving the Awards (third left being Brittany Devyna Vitalis)

(Editor: Wei Linying)