"Beauty of Chinese Characters" sparks Romanians' interest in Chinese culture
Xinhua
2019/10/20

BUCHAREST, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A two-hour lecture, entitled "Beauty of Chinese Characters" and given by Chinese professor Yu Dan from Beijing Normal University, aroused Romanians' interest in Chinese culture on Saturday.

"The ideograms reflect the Chinese perception of the surrounding world," said Yu, who gave the lecture at the Brancusi Exhibition Hall in the Romanian Parliament.

"I am inviting you to have a close look at some Chinese ideograms and try to identify the elements. You may understand some of the secrets of the Chinese language and how we the Chinese think," said Yu, after analyzing the close relationship between Chinese characters, Chinese culture and Chinese life.

The exhibition hall was full of people from different backgrounds, who said they were impressed by Yu's friendly attitude, her description of the complicated art and the well-structured presentation.

"I am amazed that each ideogram is actually the reflection of an intricate concept covering an aspect of life," said a 25-year-old IT engineer who only gave his name as Valentin.

"I am equally impressed to learn that there have been preserved old writings for thousands of years on turtle shell, what the Chinese call oracle bones," he added.

Valentin came to the lecture with his girlfriend, Ana Maria, a junior student majoring in Chinese at the University of Bucharest.

"I took up studying Chinese precisely because of the writing. It looked magic to me, like art ... Although it takes years to learn, I never felt it like a burden. I enjoy it and I usually spend three to four hours per day writing," Maria said.

During her lecture, Yu organized guessing games, asking the audience to compose Chinese characters with elements available on a magnetic board.

A local high school student who only gave his name as Dimitri took part in the game, saying that he started learning Chinese because "I admire the Chinese culture."

"By learning the language, we also learn about the history and the culture," said the 16-year-old boy who can speak some Chinese words.

The lecture is part of a series of activities organized by the Chinese Embassy in Romania to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Romania.


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