More than just words

In Yang's speech titled "We Light Up", she told stories of how war correspondents draw public attention to wars and conflicts, emphasizing that the leaders of our era need to similarly ignite empathy in others. Liu, on the other hand, explored various types of leaders across different times and places, ultimately concluding that each of us has the potential to become a leader and contribute to world peace and stability.

The theme of the grand final, "There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so", is a quote from William Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, in which the Prince of Denmark uses it to express his internal suffering.

Although they didn't make it to the final, they had their speeches prepared, and both believed that a good way to elaborate on this theme was to draw from their personal experiences.

Yang, in a draft of her speech, shared her journey as an influencer of learning methods on the Chinese lifestyle app Xiaohongshu, where she encountered both praise and criticism. Through this experience, Yang realized that the world is not simply divided into good and bad, love and hate, but is a place full of differences. She stressed the importance for the new generation to let go of their prejudices and learn to embrace diversity.