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.
Exhibition held at UNESCO headquarters to celebrate Chinese Language Day
Exhibition held at UNESCO headquarters to celebrate Chinese Language Day
Exhibition held at UNESCO headquarters to celebrate Chinese Language Day
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
