On the afternoon of 25 February, the fourth ‘Fête des Caractères Chinois’ (Chinese Character Festival), organised by the Paris Chinese Character Festival Association, took place in Paris’s 13th arrondissement. The event brought together more than 20 associations and cultural organisations, attracting over a thousand participants, and became an unprecedented celebration of Chinese character culture in Paris’s public cultural spaces.

At the event, selected highlights from the ‘Seeing Characters as Faces – Zhejiang University Students’ Chinese Character Creation Exhibition’ were displayed alongside winning entries from the French ‘Drawing Chinese Characters’ competition and international Chinese zodiac character designs. Through a contemporary design language brimming with innovation and vitality, the exhibition showcased the boundless charm of Chinese character culture and its youthful interpretation to the world.

Poster for the French Chinese Character Festival (French text in the blue box: ‘Seeing Characters as Faces’ Exhibition of Works by Zhejiang University Students)

Some of the works on display originate from the ‘Seeing Characters as Faces – Exhibition of Chinese Character Creations by Zhejiang University Students’, which opened at Zhejiang University Library in December 2025. Organised by the School and Zhejiang University Library, and jointly initiated by Zhang Liping and Gong Junji—lecturers on the courses ‘Chinese Characters and Chinese Culture’ and ‘Vocabulary Teaching and Acquisition in Chinese as a Second Language’—the exhibition brought together creative works by 166 Chinese and international students from Zhejiang University across 21 countries and regions worldwide. From Hangzhou to Paris, these works have embarked on a cultural dialogue and artistic journey spanning mountains and seas.

At the event, the works by Zhejiang University students attracted numerous overseas visitors, sinologists and culture enthusiasts to pause and admire them, thanks to their unique concepts, modern design aesthetics and profound cultural understanding. These works not only reflect the younger generation’s in-depth exploration of the beauty of Chinese characters’ forms and meanings, but also showcase the unique charm of Chinese characters—distinct from Western alphabetic scripts—through various artistic techniques such as deconstruction,重组 and fusion.

The success of this international exhibition represents a vivid demonstration of Zhejiang University’s efforts to promote the international dissemination of China’s outstanding traditional culture and to build bridges for cross-cultural exchange. It highlights the university’s profound heritage in ‘nurturing students through the arts and cultivating their character through culture’, whilst also reflecting the School’s remarkable achievements in aligning with national cultural strategies and fostering innovative talent imbued with a sense of national pride and a global perspective. The School has closely integrated curriculum delivery, academic research, artistic creation and international exhibitions, truly realising the vision of writing academic papers on the soil of the motherland and showcasing works on the world stage.

Leveraging the high-calibre international platform of the Paris Chinese Character Festival, the works of Zhejiang University students not only made a splendid cultural debut but also facilitated a vibrant exchange and dialogue across cultures. Complementing local French activities such as calligraphy performances, traditional music recitals, Chinese character workshops and intangible cultural heritage experiences, these works collectively formed a diverse, multi-dimensional and vibrant world of Chinese character culture. This allowed participants from France and across the globe to gain a profound appreciation that Chinese characters are not merely symbols of a civilisation spanning millennia, but also living cultural vessels that connect emotions, inspire creativity and look towards the future.

In the future, the School will continue to capitalise on its disciplinary strengths to encourage and support more staff and students to engage in the international dissemination of Chinese culture, creating more cultural masterpieces that bridge East and West and span past and present. In doing so, it will contribute further to the exchange and mutual learning between civilisations, as well as to enhancing the reach and influence of Chinese civilisation, drawing upon the wisdom and youthful energy of Zhejiang University.