Chinese Language Celebrated on UN Chinese Language Day

Chinese characters, known as Hanzi, are used to write the Chinese language, with each character representing a syllable and meaning, rather than individual sounds like in alphabetic writing systems. Today marks the 15th International Chinese Language Day of the United Nations, and young people from multiple countries are coming to China to learn the Chinese language and uncover the world of Chinese ancient classics, such as Dream of the Red Chamber, at Peking University.

The Chinese language is one of the six official languages recognized by the United Nations, with a fifth of the world's population speaking it, making it the number one language in the universe. The language's origins can be traced back over 5,000 years, and it is observed during the fall of spring. Chinese envoy in Kenya Zhou Pingjian called on world leaders to speak multiple languages to bring lasting peace among nations, stating that the Chinese language is a window to understand contemporary China and its culture.

The United Nations Chinese Language Day was celebrated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday, with a focus on advancing cultural exchanges and mutual understanding through learning different languages. The event featured Chinese calligraphy, traditional Chinese music, and acrobatics performed by Ethiopian artists trained in China. The event was organized by the Ethiopian Technical and Vocational Training Institute (TVTI) under the theme 'Chinese language: connecting cultures through the bridge of mutual learning.'

Why this matters: The celebration of UN Chinese Language Day highlights the importance of multilingualism and cultural diversity in fostering dialogue and understanding among different communities worldwide. As one of the most widely spoken languages, Chinese plays a significant role in promoting cultural exchanges and strengthening ties between nations.

The Smart System of International Chinese Education was launched on International Chinese Language Day by the Ministry of Education's Center for Language Education and Cooperation and Beijing Language and Culture University. The system is a student-oriented teaching platform that provides access to multimodal teaching resources, integrates teaching, practice and evaluation, and supports tailored interaction between teachers and students. It also includes intelligent assessment tools and examines learning behavior data to personalize instruction.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) in Pakistan also celebrated International Chinese Language Day, showcasing various performances of Chinese culture. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan stated that the CI-UAF has produced 5,000 students in Chinese language courses over the past 10 years, strengthening academic and research ties with Chinese institutions. Dr Zhou Changming emphasized that China and Pakistan enjoy deep and time-tested relations, and the Chinese language is connecting cultures through mutual learning.

The celebration of UN Chinese Language Day across various countries underscores the growing popularity and importance of the Chinese language globally. As Dr Zahir Ahmad Zahir from the Confucius Institute at UAF said, "Efforts are being made to produce skilled manpower and open up new avenues of

Key Takeaways

• Chinese is one of the 6 official UN languages, spoken by 1/5 of the world's population.
• UN Chinese Language Day celebrates cultural exchange and mutual understanding through language learning.
• China launched a smart education system to provide personalized Chinese language instruction globally.
• Pakistan's Confucius Institute has trained 5,000 students in Chinese language over 10 years.
• Celebrating Chinese language promotes multilingualism and strengthens ties between nations worldwide.