BEIJING, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- A patriotic-themed speech contest has concluded in Beijing, with 12 candidates from across the country awarded for their outstanding performances telling stories of "growing up with the motherland."
As part of a host of activities marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the contest was initiated in April and has attracted over 500,000 participants.
The 12 winners made to the final in Beijing after two rounds of matches with 11 sub-themes including reform, youth and poverty alleviation. A special match based on online popularity was also held aside from the 11 themed ones.
The 12 finalists were all grassroots or frontline workers, including assembly line workers, teachers, journalists, university students, firefighters and corporate executives. Their stories demonstrated how people have translated their patriotic fervor into dedication to daily work.
Since April, about 6 million spectators have attended the contest, which also had nearly 100 million views online.
