On September 5, the first exhibition of achievements of the "Beauty of Chinese Characters" general education course opened at the Art Gallery on Xianlin Campus. The event was attended by Sun Xiaoyun, Chairman of the China Calligraphers Association and Director of Nanjing University's Chinese Calligraphy Research Institute; Xu Ning, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee; Zhang Lili, Second Level Counsel of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education; Lai Yonghai, Director of the Chinese Culture Research Institute and Senior Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at NJU; Chen Yunsong, Vice Chair of NJU CPC Council; and Wen Yu, Director of the Publicity Department of NJU CPC Council, and Director of United Front Work Department of the NJU CPC Council.
Sun Xiaoyun reviewed the original intention and overview of offering the "Beauty of Chinese Characters" general education course at NJU, and stated that this course is the first initiative among national universities to integrate calligraphy with university general education. She pointed out that the exhibition includes 121 calligraphy works from students, teachers, and expert advisors of the course, serving as an annual report and centralized display of the course's theory and teaching. She noted that in the year since the course was established, it has achieved good teaching results, received enthusiastic response from students, gained widespread media coverage, and actively explored an operational model for Chinese character general education and aesthetic education that is practical, replicable, promotable, innovative, exemplary, and inspirational.
In his speech, Chen Yunsong stated that President Xi Jinping pointed out: "Chinese characters are truly remarkable, and the formation and development of the Chinese nation are inseparable from the cohesion provided by Chinese characters", and emphasized "we must ensure that research on oracle bone inscriptions and other ancient scripts continues to be conducted and passed down." He briefly introduced NJU's thorough implementation of President Xi Jinping's important directives and the overall situation of offering the "Beauty of Chinese Characters" humanities-themed general education course. He expressed gratitude to the Publicity Department of Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, Provincial Education Department, Provincial Calligraphers Association, Provincial Calligraphy Research Institute and other units for their guidance and assistance with the course. He looked forward to using the "Beauty of Chinese Characters" general education course as an opportunity to let the beauty of Chinese characters and the charm of calligraphy flourish on NJU's campus and throughout Jiangsu, injecting vibrant vitality and contemporary energy into the inheritance and innovation of excellent traditional Chinese culture.
Sun Xiaoyun, Xu Ning, Chen Yunsong, Zhang Lili, Wen Yu, and Wang Jun, Dean of NJU's Undergraduate College, jointly unveiled "Beauty of Chinese Characters, Roots of Chinese Civilization - First Exhibition of Achievements of NJU's 'Beauty of Chinese Characters' General Education Course."
Sun Xiaoyun, Xu Ning, and Wen Yu presented collection certificates to the exhibiting guests, thanking the teaching team members and special guests for their contributions to the course and exhibition.
Sun Xiaoyun, Zhang Lili, and Chen Jin, Party Secretary and General Manager of NJU's Logistics Service Group, presented collection certificates to student exhibitor representatives. The students' works will be displayed in teaching buildings and student dormitories, and will be updated regularly as the "Beauty of Chinese Characters" course continues year after year.
Zhang Jingsheng, a Malaysian Chinese international student from NJU's class of 2023 and a student exhibitor representative, shared his experience of learning to write Chinese characters and engaging with calligraphy since childhood, as well as his experiences studying Chinese history and culture as an international student at NJU. He stated that through the "Beauty of Chinese Characters" course, he appreciated the long history of Chinese characters, experienced how writing penetrates different dimensions of traditional culture, and realized the unique value of Chinese characters in the exchange and mutual learning between civilizations.
The event was hosted by Dong Xiao, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts at NJU. After the opening ceremony, the guests entered the Art Gallery to view the exhibition.
The event was attended by representatives from the Cultural Heritage Development Office of the Publicity Department of Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, China Calligraphers Association, Jiang Nan Times, Jiangsu Calligraphers Association, Henan Calligraphers Association, Jiangsu Youth Calligraphers Association, Nanjing Gulou District Calligraphers Association, Nanjing Youth Calligraphers Association, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, as well as officials, teachers and students from relevant departments and schools of NJU.
