Calligraphy copies of inscriptions exhibited in Taiwan's Nantou

An exhibition of calligraphy copies of inscriptions collected by the Xi'an Beilin Museum from across the Taiwan Strait opened on Sept. 3 at the Chung Tai World Museum in Taiwan's Nantou County.

Themed "Learn from the ancient masters and usher in a new glorious chapter", the exhibition was co-hosted by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF), the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Exchange Association, and the Han-wei Cultural Association in Taiwan, and undertaken by Xi'an Beilin Museum.

The opening ceremony featured a video link between three parallel sessions in Beijing, Xi'an and Nantou. Around 120 guests, including Yu Qun, vice chairperson of the CSCLF, Luo Wenli, honorary president of the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Exchange Association, and Chen Chunlin, director of the Han-wei Cultural Association in Taiwan, attended the ceremony.

The mainland and Taiwan share the same cultural origin, and the Chinese culture has been rooting deeply and flourishing across the Strait, said Yu in his speech.  Yu explained that it is an important task of the CSCLF to promote cross-Strait cultural exchanges and enhance the bond between compatriots.

The exhibition has been successfully held in Xi'an this April and Taipei in June. He noted thatthis timea total of 121 calligraphy works will be displayed at the Chung Tai World Museum and relevant lectures and interactive activities will be organized at the sidelines of the exhibition, with the aim of reviving the ancient culture in the new era and carrying forward the fine traditional Chinese culture.

Luo said that the art of calligraphy is not only an important carrier of Chinese civilization but also a bond bearing the national spirit. Xi'an Beilin Museum donated 1,273 sets of copies of its finest inscriptions to the Chung Tai Temple in 2010 and a friendship was thus forged. Blood is thicker than water. He hoped this exhibition could help compatriots in Taiwan learn more about steles and stone sculptures in Beilin and deepen the bonds between people across the Strait.

Chen said that the exhibitions in Xi'an, Taipei and Nantou have deepened people's understanding about the art of calligraphy and Chinese characters, adding that audience's great enthusiasm has strengthened his conviction of advancing cross-Strait exchanges.

At the opening ceremony in Nantou, organizers issued certificates to representatives of Taiwan award-winners in Taiwan. At the parallel session in Beijing, children from the calligraphy class of the China Soong Ching Ling Science and Culture Center for Young People showed their works.

The exhibition was opened with a special launch ceremony where two "seeds" of stone tablets sprout and grow into towering trees, symbolizing that the culture of calligraphy takes root and flourish in both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

After the opening ceremony, Vice President of the Xi'an Beilin Museum Liu Dongping and Li Yuzhou, a professor with the National Taiwan University of Arts, jointly presented a lecture on the aesthetic and significance of calligraphy in today's world.

The exhibition will open till October 30. Besides the 121 calligraphy works, ten copies of inscriptions collected by the Chung Tai World Museum will also meet the public.

Present at the Beijing parallel session were Chen Wenguan, CSCLF council member and president of the Beijing Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises, Jiang Lan, CSCLF council member and executive director of the Hong Kong Hengfeng Group, and Fang Xinwen and Yu Xin, deputy directors of the Department of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs of the CSCLF.

Background information: 

The exhibition is themed with "copy the ancient and usher in a new glorious chapter together".

The call for calligraphy submissions from both sides of the Taiwan Strait began in July 2021. A total of 121 are selected from more than 1,600 works for display. In April and June 2022, the calligraphy works were exhibited at the Xi'an Beilin Museum and the Taipei City Archives respectively and drawn more than 10,000 visits.