The United Nations marked its 15th Chinese Language Day on Friday at its headquarters in New York, with the unveiling of an exhibition on Chinese characteristics.
The exhibition is part of this year's Chinese Language Day celebrations by the world body.
Jointly hosted by Permanent Mission of China to the UN, the Nanjing Municipal People's government, the Chinese Language Division of the UN General Assembly and the UN Chinese Book Club, the exhibition was attended by Permanent Representative of China to the UN Fu Cong and President of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis.
In his speech, Francis noted that the Chinese language, with its thousands of years of history, represents China's cultural heritage and embodies harmony and coexistence that is in the heart of Chinese culture.
""With its deep-rooted commitment to the multilateral formula, drawing upon its ancient philosophy of seeking harmony and coexistence, China stands at the forefront of cooperative global action to mobilize a new diagnosis for multilateralism as a vehicle for resolving existing global challenges," he said.
About 180 guests attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition, where they experienced traditional Chinese culture, including movable-type printing process, tea ceremony and calligraphy, and enjoyed traditional Chinese music performances.
On Thursday, the UN Chinese Book Club organized a panel discussion on Chinese music and language translation, aiming to promote the Chinese language and cultural exchanges through music.
The UN Chinese Language Day is observed on April 20 every year since 2010, celebrating the language's contribution to the world while encouraging more people to learn it.
April 20 marks the Guyu, Grain Rain or "Rain of Millet" in Chinese. The Guyu is sixth of the 24 solar terms on the traditional lunar calendar, the day when farmers start sowing.
It is also the day to pay tribute to Cangjie, an imaginary figure in traditional Chinese lore regarded as the inventor of Chinese characters. Legend has it that when he invented the characters, the gods and ghosts cried and the sky rained millet.
UN marks 15th Chinese Language Day with unveiling of exhibition
