Celebrating characters

"This exhibition will give an overall view of Chinese characters' lineage since the time of their origin until this day and age," says Wang Fuzhou, the deputy director of the intangible cultural heritage department under the Ministry of Culture.

The exhibition, which is being jointly organized by the National Museum of Classic Books and his ministry, will also tour the country's provincial public libraries in the coming months.

"It (display) focuses on the application of the traditional writing system in modern Chinese society, which is in the hands of the intangible cultural inheritors," Wang says. "It's important for visitors to participate in writing to know the techniques better."

At least six public lectures that focus on the history of Chinese characters are also being held at the museum alongside the exhibition.

According to Li Honglin, the deputy director of National Library of China, the library began a project last year to categorize intangible cultural heritage that's related to Chinese characters via video recordings, interviews and the production of documentaries. About 30 intangible cultural heritage items have so far been included in the project.

The project is intended to promote public awareness of the many challenges that such heritage faces in modern times in China, according to Li.

"A database will be established on our library's website to better inform the public," he says.

Li says that the library also plans to cooperate with the Beijing subway network to enable passengers to view relevant documentaries and texts by scanning two-dimensional codes in carriages and subway stations.

IF YOU GO

Open hours: 9 am to 4:45 pm (closed on Mondays). Entry is free. National Museum of Classic Books, 33 Zhongguancun Nan Dajie (Avenue), Haidian district, Beijing.

Tel: 010-8854-5936.

For more information visit exhibition website at www.nlc.gov.cn/cmptest/wmdwz/(in Chinese only).