Feature: Inaugural exhibition in Bangladesh showcases culturally-rich Chinese creativity

People from all walks of life especially students have been given the chance to delve into the world of Chinese lettering and calligraphy in an exhibition in Dhaka.

Hundreds of students, mostly from Bangladesh's top Dhaka University, visited the exhibition which was the first of its kind in the country.

The exhibition, which concluded Monday, created a huge amount of interest among the Bangladeshi students and served to pique interest in Chinese languages and the rich cultural-interrelatedness, symbology and the overall creativity of the exhibition's displays.

Most of the visitors said that the exhibition illustrated immense creativity and conveyed their interest in the aesthetics of calligraphy, which have developed over many centuries in China.

"We know China is a great nation with a progressive and esoteric civilization; rich in cultural heritage, spanning five thousand years," said Abdur Rahman, a Dhaka University student.

"I feel delighted to have the opportunity to see some of the artwork," he said, and expressed his hope that more such exhibitions in the future will pave the way for Bangladeshi students to come to know more about famous Chinese calligraphers and their unique aesthetic styles.

The displays in the exhibition included poetry, literature, and prose in various styles showcasing the diversity of Chinese calligraphers.

"There are a lot of things for us to learn from this exhibition," said another student Habibur Rahman.

"Many of my friends have visited the exhibition and have also been captivated," he said.

Students who have been learning calligraphy skills in various institutions in Bangladesh, flocked to the exhibition, which Bangladeshi Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu inaugurated on Sunday at Dhaka University's Institute of Fine Arts.

The minister said that cultural contacts between China and Bangladesh dated

back through the ages and have been enhanced in recent times.

He said such cultural contacts would bring the people of the two countries even closer together.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ma Mingqiang, among others, also spoke at the inauguration ceremony. He said such cultural exchanges will help each country to learn from the other and in doing so enrich the culture of each country.

The exhibition was organized by the Bangladesh-China People's Friendship Association and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Sixty-four Chinese letters and 20 calligraphic artworks were exhibited at the first-of-its-kind exhibition.

Visitors stressed the ongoing need for arranging such kinds of exhibitions regularly in Bangladesh's educational institutions, so that Bangladeshi students can learn more about China and its rich cultural heritage.

"We want to know more about China and its culture, which has developed over thousands of years. Such exhibitions will surely pave the way for us to understand modern China as well and its rich culture, in which we have great interest and curiosity," said Munira Huq, a fine arts student at the Dhaka University. Enditem