From the heights of the Himalayas to the buzz of a summer mosquito — tonight's prepared speeches took us on unforgettable journeys.
01
C
Cindy
"The Himalayas in My Heart"
PM L1-3 · 7 min
This summer, Cindy took a long leave to accompany her father on a road trip across Tibet — from Linzhi in the east to Ali in the far west. Her father, a history and geography enthusiast, had always dreamed of seeing the Himalayas borderlands with his own eyes. He prepared everything himself — vehicle, itinerary, emergency supplies, even an oxygen generator — because in his mind, she was still "the little girl."
The trip went smoothly until they reached Everest Base Camp at 5,200m. The next day, a roadblock forced a detour through winding mountain roads with no guardrails. After 1.5 hours, her exhausted father quietly let her take the wheel for the first time.
The road became steeper, turns sharper. Afternoon sunlight made her dizzy. Her pants got sweaty. Heart beating fast. One turn, two turns, three turns... She kept her eyes fixed on the road. "We've come this far. Let's keep going. What other choice do I have?"
At the destination, her father patted her shoulder: "My daughter is an experienced driver now."
"For so many years, my father had been the mountain. Like Himalaya standing beside me, shielding me from the big storms. But at the moment I took over the wheel, I found him taking a nap while I was driving. I realized I could take a little weight from his shoulder, and gain a little more trust from him."
— Cindy
"I believe everyone has a Himalayas in their mind. And for me, the Himalayas is not only a mountain — it is also a destination where we can go if we believe in it. This is not a journey of my father, but a journey of a father and daughter. So what about yours? Do you have a Himalayas in your mind that you want to go? Here's the thing — let's go! Take action!"
— Cindy
Evaluator: Tina
Praised Cindy's body movement design — gestures matched the east-to-west route and altitude changes. Voice conveyed emotion so clearly that even without understanding every word, the audience could feel her happiness and struggle. Story structure had many turning points that kept everyone engaged. Suggestion: the conclusion could be more formal and compelling to strengthen the core message. Loved the Q&A — real road photos vs. Google Maps showed the actual dangerous conditions vividly.
02
B
Bella
"Buzz Hour with Mosquito"
EH L5-1 · 15 min · Best Prepared
Bella opened with a warm-up game — everyone formed a circle for "Mosquito & Bird" — then revealed her speech was born from scratching mosquito bites during topic brainstorming. She framed it as a podcast interview with a mosquito ("Miss Mosquito"), who agreed to talk in exchange for a free snack.
Round 1 — "Why me?"
Mosquito: "You are slow. You are clumsy. You just sit here scrolling on your phone. You're like a vending machine that doesn't fight back. As for the face — that was personal. I just wanted to see your reaction. It was epic."
Round 2 — "Why three bites on one arm?"
Mosquito: "I don't drink from one spot. I have standards. I have class. I'm tasting the same flavor from different angles. You eat a burger with your hands — I eat with fork and knife. It's called fine dining."
Round 3 — The Mosquito's Story
Mosquito: "You think I enjoy this? I have a hundred babies to feed. Do you know how hard it is to be a mother? Everyone wants me to die."
Then came the turn — the moment of moral kidnapping. Understanding a struggle doesn't mean accepting harm.
"EMPATHY IS NOT INVITATION TO BE HURT. Understanding someone's struggle doesn't mean accepting everything they do. You can say 'I feel you' and still say 'not on my arm.' Boundaries are not walls — they're gates that you get to choose who walks through."
— Bella
"When you go back home tonight and you feel that little bug by your ear, you know what to do? You can say: 'I get you... but no, thank you.'"
— Bella
Evaluator: Yang
Called the structure textbook-level: begins with humor and innovative performance, seems like shallow entertainment, but at the end elevates to a profound theme — "You set an expectation and then at the end you turn it around and bring it to a whole different level." Impressed by the dialogue format and attention to detail (prepared small red dots for mosquito bites). Suggestions: maintain eye contact with audience (not the whiteboard) during role play; the opening game, while fun, took too long — at Bella's level, she doesn't need a warm-up game.