Exhibition held at UNESCO headquarters to celebrate Chinese Language Day

China

Exhibition held at UNESCO headquarters to celebrate Chinese Language Day

2025-04-19 13:38 Last Updated At：18:57

A themed exhibition was held on Thursday at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris to celebrate the 2025 UN Chinese Language Day, showcasing the artistry and aesthetic quality of Chinese characters.

Focusing on the fusion of expressive Chinese art and the aesthetics of Chinese calligraphy, the event, themed "The Art of Freehand Brushwork and the Beauty of Chinese Characters" was held to present the unique charm of Chinese culture to a global audience.

"This event is designed to highlight how Chinese characters nourish the aesthetic expressions of Chinese artists through calligraphy and painting, highlighting the beauty of Chinese characters," said Yang Xinyu, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of China to UNESCO.

Esteemed guests highlighted the importance of language in preserving cultural legacies and forming new connections.

"In an era where technology grows very fast, we need to remember and respect our heritage. And as I said, your language and our language [are] the strongest symbols of cultural heritage. Not only for our two nations, but for the world as a whole," said Georgios Koumoutsakos, Permanent Delegate of Greece to UNESCO.

A special feature of the event was the "Spring in Bloom" themed calligraphy and painting exhibition. Centered on traditional Chinese calligraphy and ink painting, the display merged the pictographic feature of Chinese characters with the expressive aesthetics of freehand brushwork.

"Chinese traditional arts and Chinese characters are derived from the same origin. Chinese characters are one of a kind in the world, which combine phonograms and pictograms in their creation. Many of the characters evolved from pictures, which embody them a beautiful composition," said Guo Yicong, a renowned artist and professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, who contributed his work as a part of the exhibition.

Phonograms refer to symbols that carry information about a word's pronunciation, while pictograms represent a concept visually. Uniquely, Chinese characters uniquely make use of both.

Language Days at the United Nations were set up to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity, and the Chinese Language Day falls on April 20. As China's global presence continues to grow, UN Chinese Language Day is increasingly seen as a vital platform for fostering intercultural communication and deepening international understanding.

Japanese lower house approves bill to establish national intelligence committee, sparking protests

Japan's House of Representatives approved a bill to establish a national intelligence committee on Thursday, prompting widespread public questions and concerns. In March, the Japanese government approved a resolution to submit the relevant bill to the Diet, proposing a new intelligence mechanism centered on a national intelligence council with the national intelligence committee serving as its executive body.

According to the bill, the new committee will be tasked with coordinating "important intelligence activities" in areas such as national security and counter-terrorism, as well as "overseas intelligence activities" involving foreign espionage.

The bill also states that the committee's secretariat will "comprehensively coordinate" intelligence work across government ministries and agencies, with the authority to request that they share information.

The bill now moves to the upper house for review.

The bill and a series of reckless moves by the Takaichi administration have fueled deep public concern. Protesters gathered to voice their opposition to the legislation before its passage.

"Right now, the Takaichi administration is trying to drag Japan into war, through actions like promoting weapons imports and exports, provoking China, and failing to offer the apologies it should have made afterward. Against this backdrop, opposition voices are actually quite strong, but these remarks will be regulated. Once such a bill passes, not even opposing voices will be able to speak out. This is something I do not want to see," said a protester.

These grave concerns were widely echoed by other rally attendees, who said they cannot accept a string of radical moves by the Japanese government and the Takaichi administration, including the lifting of the ban on lethal weapons exports and the relentless push to amend Japan's pacifist constitution.

"Takaichi is forcing all of these moves through. Promoting this bill and lifting the ban on arms exports mean heading towards war," said another rally participant.

"I believe amending the Constitution is completely unacceptable. The Constitution is not something that members of the National Diet can revise on a whim, and it should never be revised in the first place," said another protester.