(2002/09/18)

The Chinese Juvenile Calligraphy Show co-sponsored by China Exhibition Exchange Center, Japan-China Friendship Guild and All-Japan Students Calligraphy League was opened on September 18th at Tokyo's Japan-China Friendship Guild Art Gallery. Visiting managing deputy president of China External Cultural Exchange Association and former vice Minister of Culture Liu Deyou, president of Japan-China Friendship Guild Murakami Riikyu, president of All-Japan Students Calligraphy League Yanagita Taiun, and cultural attaché with the rank of envoy of Chinese Embassy in Japan Zhang Aiping attended the opening ceremony and cut the ribbon. President of Japan-China Society Shiranishi Sinitirou, deputy president of Tokyo Overseas Chinese General Society Chen Xuequan, famous calligraphy critic Tamiya Bunhei, and people from various circles, about 150 in number, attended the ceremony.

Liu Deyou gave a positive appraisal to the show held on the occasion of 30th anniversary of normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations. He pointed out that cultural exchanges are exchanges of the soul and heart that will play a significant role in setting up cooperation and partnership relations between China and Japan in the efforts for peace and development, and that as the future of a nation is placed on youngsters, it is essential to strengthen various exchanges between youngsters of the two countries. Murakami Riikyu set a high value on the show for its high level, extensive contents and notable originality that fully reveal the calligraphic achievements of youngsters of the two countries.

On display are 100 pieces each by Chinese and Japanese calligraphers, totaling 200, in all styles including regular script, seal script, running hand and official script. Quite a few pieces featuring high skill in handwriting were written by six- or seven-years-olds.

Ms Yanagita Seilan, president of All-Japan Students Calligraphy League, which is the sponsor as well as undertaker of the show, is the widow of the late calligrapher Yanagita Taiun who, in his lifetime was active in promoting Sino-Japanese calligraphic exchanges. The inscription A Peaceful Country, A Prosperous People written by him was carved on Mount Taishan in 1999, which has become a tourist attraction. To following the career of her husband, Ms Yanagita Seilan goes every year with her students learning calligraphy to Mount Taishan to pay respects to the inscription and carry out calligraphic exchanges with local people to boost mutual understanding and friendship between people of the two countries.

The show is to come to a close on September 24th.

By Feng Shulong

(From Cultural Office of Chinese Embassy in Japan)