The 2nd Session of the Italian Public Speaking Contest was held at the International Meeting Room of Chengxin Building, UIBE on May 21, 2016. The contest was jointly held by School of International Studies (SIS), UIBE and the National Institute of Italian Teaching and Research, and was co-organized by the Institute of Culture of the Embassy of Italy in Beijing and Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. The theme for the contest was "On Happiness" with a variety of contestants, covering 15 universities that have the major of Italian Studies, such as Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing Language and Culture University, and Shanghai International Studies University.

Among the judges were such celebrated scholars as Maria Luisa, Specialist of the Institute of Culture of the Embassy of Italy, Professor Shan Dehai from the Italian Division of the China International Radio, and Professor Wu Zhengyi from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Keynote speeches were delivered by Tian Wenquan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the SIS, UIBE and by Zhang Yujing, Director of the Italian Study Department of SIS, UIBE and President of the National Institute of Italian Teaching and Research.

The Contest was divided into three parts: Prepared Speeches, Unprepared Speeches and a Q & A. During the Prepared Speeches, contestants delivered well-prepared, logical and content-rich speeches in fluent and standardized Italian, describing what happiness is in their minds and ways to gain happiness. The remaining two parts best illustrated contestants' solid language knowledge and linguistic flexibility. The excellent performances of the contestants won the judges' appreciation and displayed the high quality of Italian-language education at Chinese universities. At the end, the Special-class Prize was awarded to Liu Lei from Shanghai International Studies University and Wang Xuran from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Lv Ye and Yang Liying from UIBE won the Second Prize and the Best Style Prize respectively.

The media coverage of this contest was undertaken by the Italian Division of the China International Radio.