The National High School Debate League of China (NHSDLC) is the largest and oldest debate league in China serving high school and middle school students. We believe that interscholastic competitive debate is an extraordinary activity that channels students’ diverse talents and passions and allows them to better express themselves, communicate with others, and understand the world around them. We have created a debate ecosystem in China, combining dozens of regional competitions, a deeply engaged member schools network, training resources and curricula, and a national championship tournament. NHSDLC is proudly partnered with the debate associations at Yale, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and the University of Chicago.

The NHSDLC conducts debates in the Public Forum style, one of the most popular debate formats in the United States. In each round, two teams of two debaters each argue for opposite sides of a topic. The topic is announced weeks in advance, allowing students to conduct comprehensive research about the relevant issues. At a tournament, students will debate both sides of the resolution several times. This format encourages the development of academic research, critical thinking, and public speaking skills.

The NHSDLC runs week long intensive debate training camps in February and July, where students receive coaching from some of the top debate instructors in the world. We recruit coaches from our partner organizations at top U.S. universities, including Princeton, Yale, and Harvard. At camp, students receive more than 64 hours of direct instruction in small workshops and participate in several practice rounds. This format allows for individualized instruction and opportunities to put new skills to the test against other debaters. Students who attend camp see a dramatic improvement in their debate, critical thinking, and research abilities.

Every February, the NHSDLC accompanies the top-performing Chinese teams to the Stanford and Harvard high school tournaments. These students receive rigorous debate coaching before they compete against the top U.S. high school debaters. In 2017, NHSDLC students won the international divisions of both tournaments.

As part of our commitment to grow debate in China, the NHSDLC offers free debate training sessions per year to any interested school in the country.