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Founded in 2012
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Cognia accreditation mark ASDAN Global Leadership Award
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Multi‑Tiered Tournament System
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English-Language Events

Introduction

China’s highly influential youth English speech and debate tournament platform

NHSDLC (National High School Debate League of China), founded in 2012, is one of China’s earliest academic English debate programs for secondary school students and enjoys extensive domestic and international influence. Centered on English debate and public speaking events, NHSDLC has developed a year-round competitive framework featuring diverse formats and progressive levels of challenge, providing students with a structured pathway from introductory experiences and ability development to advanced debate skills.

Over more than a decade of development, NHSDLC has built a multi‑level tournament system including interscholastic debate tournament, regional tournament, online tournament, national invitationals, annual championship and international invitational tournaments. Its footprint covers over 40 cities across China, with formal partnerships with more than 100 schools. NHSDLC engages nearly 10,000 students through a diverse range of debate and speech events and competitive opportunities, with more than 80,000 students having participated over the years. NHSDLC also attracts competitors from countries and regions including Indonesia, India and South Korea, fostering international exchange and expanding opportunities for cross-border competitive engagement.

PF

Public‑Forum Debate

JWSD

Junior World Schools Debate

BP

British Parliamentary Debate

LD

Lincoln‑Douglas Debate

PS

Public Speaking


New Chapter ×

In September 2026, ASEEDER and the NHSDLC Organizing Committee formally established a strategic partnership. Building on NHSDLC’s more than a decade of legacy, academic tradition, and event framework, the partnership brings together ASEEDER’s strengths in international education resources, academic program management, school connections, and global partnerships to further elevate the academic rigor, participant experience, and global reach of NHSDLC tournaments.

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Why do world‑class universities value critical thinking and public advocacy?

01 Universities Demand More Than Knowing the Right Answers

University-level learning demands far more than knowledge retention. Students are expected to ask meaningful questions, conduct research, evaluate evidence, analyze competing perspectives, build well-reasoned arguments, and clearly articulate their own judgments. Debate places all these competencies within live clashes of arguments. Participants do not merely state “I think”. They must continually answer:

Why?
What is your evidence?
What counter‑arguments exist?
Can your reasoning withstand refutation?

From "I THINK " to "I CAN PROVE IT. "

02 From the Classroom to Campus: Critical Thinking and Communication at World‑Class Universities

HARVARD

Debate as a Learning Tool
Harvard teaching resources employ debate to build research skills, argument construction, rapid critical analysis, written‑oral communication and understanding of diverse viewpoints. Its public‑speaking curriculum emphasizes persuasive advocacy and audience‑centered impromptu deliver.

OXFORD

Oracy as an Essential Skill
St Anne’s College, Oxford, runs an Oracy Programme for Year 7–13 students covering presentation skills, debate skills and critical thinking, using debate and oratory to strengthen students’ public‑expression and reasoning capabilities.

DEBATE ON CAMPUS

200+ Years of Debate Culture
From vibrant collegiate debate organizations and interscholastic debate tournaments across the United States to the historic Oxford Union (founded in 1823) and Cambridge Union (founded in 1815), debate has long been woven into the fabric of academic discourse, public‑issue engagement, and campus culture at universities across the United States and the United Kingdom.
HARVARD · YALE · STANFORD · OXFORD · CAMBRIDGE

03 Research Findings: Debate Participation Is Associated with Improved Academic Performance

Research from the Houston Independent School District, controlling for prior academic performance, shows that participation in competitive debate is associated with higher GPA and SAT scores.

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U.S. High School Student Sample
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SAT Reading & Writing
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Average Cumulative GPA

Why Choose NHSDLC

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Fourteen Years of Experience and Growth

Founded in 2012, NHSDLC has spent more than a decade developing a comprehensive platform for English debate and speech events for students across China. Today, its tournaments and partnerships reach more than 40 cities nationwide, with partnerships spanning over 100 schools.
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A Comprehensive Competitive Pathway

From regular regional tournaments and online tournaments to winter invitationals and the annual summer championship, NHSDLC provides students at different levels of experience with continuous opportunities to develop their skills and advance through the competitive pathway
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Multiple Types of Debate and Speech Events

NHSDLC offers five event formats—Public Forum (PF), Junior World Schools Debate (JWSD), British Parliamentary (BP), Lincoln‑Douglas (LD), and Public Speaking (PS). From two-person collaboration and team-based debate to individual argumentation and public speaking, the program provides diverse opportunities for students of different ages, experience levels, and interests.
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Rich Academic Resources

From structured debate training and topic research to argument construction and communication practice, NHSDLC provides extensive academic materials and preparation resources to help students of different experience levels progressively develop their skills in English debate and public speaking—moving beyond simply “participating in an event” to systematically developing critical thinking and communication skills.
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A Legacy of International Debate and Academic Exchange

NHSDLC has organized opportunities for Chinese students to participate in international debate invitationals and related academic programs hosted by leading universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, Yale University, and Harvard University. In 2015, NHSDLC became the international delegation with the highest number of awards at the Harvard Debate Invitational. In 2018, NHSDLC led its debaters to win the Championship of International Division at the Stanford International Invitational for the second consecutive year.
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International Recognition and Certification

Certificates of achievement are jointly issued by NHSDLC × ASEEDER and feature the Cognia accreditation mark, providing evidence of students’ academic engagement and demonstrated skills for U.S. college applications. Through continued participation in ASEEDER programmes, students may also earn the ASDAN Global Leadership Short Course Certificate, recognised by Ofqual and recommended by UCAS. The certificate highlights students’ leadership and problem-solving skills and supports their applications to UK universities. Outstanding students may also be eligible for ASEEDER Scholarships to participate in more advanced international programmes.
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Real‑World Issues × Academic Skills

Students engage with issues spanning society, economics, technology, international relations, and other contemporary topics, conducting research, developing arguments, and engaging in substantive debate. Through these experiences, students strengthen a range of transferable skills, including English communication, logical reasoning, research, critical thinking, and teamwork.
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National and International Media Coverage

NHSDLC tournaments have received coverage from a range of domestic and international media outlets, including China Daily, Sina Education, Beijing Network Television, Qingdao Evening News, NetEase News, Chengdu Television, and The Economist. Global Times featured the 2014 National Championship in a dedicated special report, while the Los Angeles Times published a feature on the 2015 National Championship

Tournament‑Day Schedule

DAY 1｜Preliminary Rounds Phase

Competitor check‑in
Opening Ceremony & tournament briefing
Multiple preliminary debates
Preliminary advancement list release
Initial elimination rounds (subject to tournament configuration)

DAY 2｜Elimination & Final Phase

Announcement of advancing competitors / teams
Elimination bracket matches
Quarter‑Finals
Semi‑Finals
Grand Finals
Closing Ceremony & Awards Ceremony
* The above represents a generic template. Exact round structure and timelines vary by tournament. Always refer to official event announcements for finalized schedules. Public Speaking competitions are generally held over one day.

Latest Updates

2026 Fall Regional Tournament: Registration Now Open ! Click the image below for session details.

NHSDLC Advanced System

Step1：Regular Rounds

Regular Rounds

  • Fall Semester｜September–December
    Format: Online Rounds / In-Person Regional Rounds
    Eligibility: Students who meet the age requirements for the relevant division
  • Winter Break｜January–February
    Format: Winter Invitational Round (Online) / Chinese New Year Invitational Round (Online)
    Eligibility: Students who meet the age requirements for the relevant division
  • Spring Semester｜March–June
    Format: Online Rounds / In-Person Regional Rounds
    Eligibility: Students who meet the age requirements for the relevant division

Step2：National Championship Round

National Championship Round

  • Summer Break｜July/August
    National Championship Round (In Person)
  • Eligibility: Students who achieve TOP-level placement in any Spring, Fall, or Winter competition are eligible to advance to the National Championship Round.
  • *The number of TOP qualification places and the ranking criteria may vary by competition and will be subject to the final announcement of the Organising Committee.