ST PETERSBURG - A Chinese language proficiency competition featuring student teams from five Russian regions was held here on Tuesday, with the winners set to sail into an international contest to be held in China.

In the city's iconic Hermitage Theater, university teams from St Petersburg, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok and a joint Siberian team took turns presenting group performances before the best individuals from each team were asked to display their knowledge of the vast terrain of Chinese language and culture.

While Vladivostok was declared the overall team champion, this year's deserving individual winner, Alexander Kislov from St. Petersburg, will now travel to China for the international " Chinese Bridge" competition along with several other Russian students.

Tuesday's event, organized by the local Confucius Institute, was attended by Chinese diplomats and community leaders as well as representatives of St Petersburg State University.