Exhibition eases fear of Chinese characters

Many foreigners feel intimidated by the prospect of learning Chinese characters, but a fun exhibition at a university aims to enhance awareness of traditional Chinese culture.

The exhibition, launched by the National Museum of Chinese Writing, opened in the capital at Beijing Foreign Studies University on Monday, showcasing the origin, development and dissemination of Chinese characters.

"The exhibition adds historical and cultural atmosphere to the university," said Peng Long, the university president.

As a school specializing in foreign language teaching, the university plays an important role in promoting Chinese culture overseas, the president said, adding that the school has 64 foreign languages programs and more than 1,300 international students.

"Characters are not only for use, but an essence of human wisdom and civilization," said Feng Kejian, executive deputy curator of the National Museum of Chinese Writing.

"Chinese people are familiar with characters, but the exhibition provides a new angle for visitors to understand the origin and cultural messages characters convey, and the roles they play in civilization."

The traveling exhibition, launched on Aug 13, 2013, has already toured 23 places－10 domestic and 13 overseas.

It is the second stop at a university, following one at Zhengzhou University in November.

The next move is to exhibit in government departments, communities and the army, Feng said.

President Xi Jinping urged the promotion of traditional Chinese culture among youth in 2014, prompting many universities to work toward the goal.

Renmin University of China established a li center on Sunday, aiming to study China's traditional rites including ceremonies and rules of conduct. Confucius described li as all traditional forms that provide a standard of conduct.