Department of Cultural Affairs

By Psyche Cho
Staff Reporter

A record-breaking giant Chinese character for "Dragon" wiggled across the ground in the lobby of Taipei Main Station to officially kick off the 8th Chinese Character Festival on March 31. This year's version of the event continues its mission of fascinating people with the charm of Han strokes through the five senses – sight, smell, hearing, taste, and hands-on experience.

Zen master Hung Chi-sung wielded the brush loaded with ink made of an essence of oil, tea, and prepared Chinese ink and weighing over ten kilograms, and rewarded the bustling station with the gift character "Dragon" – the Chinese zodiac sign this year – at the size of 1,026 square meters.

"Chinese characters and culture have been infused in the daily lives of people," said Liu Wei-gong, Commissioner of Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, organizer of the event, in his remarks before the calligraphy ceremony.

Liu went on to say that Chinese characters have evolved from symbols of tradition into something frequently seen in our modern lives.

The festival, which runs through April 29, is held around virtually every corner in Taipei. Citizens can participate at lectures exploring the beauty of Chinese strokes and related customs or sign up for urban trips touring spots related to Chinese culture.

Meanwhile, there is also a cross-field exhibition featuring art, fashion and digital artworks using Chinese characters. An online website offering a test on Chinese characters also serves to advance contemporaries' knowledge of the beautiful strokes.

Chinese characters are closely linked to every-day aesthetics in Chinese-speaking circles, demonstrated in various media including imprints on cakes, tea classics, Spring Festival couplets, and other means of expression. The Chinese Character Festival is a move to promote traditional Chinese character writing, living aesthetics, and creative design.

For more information about the programs in the 8th Chinese Character Festival, please visit ccf.culture.org.tw or call (02) 8712-3937.