April 20 is "Guyu," one of the 24 Chinese solar terms, and the 11th United Nations "Chinese Language Day."

In 2010, the United Nations (UN) announced the launch of the UN Chinese Language Day, to celebrate the use of multiple languages and cultural diversity and to promote the equal use of the six official languages of the UN.

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish are the six official languages of the UN and English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat.

It is a very meaningful task for the UN to ensure an effective balance between official languages in international relations. Thus, from 1946 to today, the UN has made many efforts to support and promote the six official languages in order to make the UN, its objectives and actions as widely known to the public as possible.

This year, the Confucius Institute Online partnered with Chinese teachers and students from around the world to celebrate the "UN Chinese Language Day" in an online live broadcast, China Daily reported.

Chinese language teaching experts from various countries, presidents of Chinese and foreign universities, directors of Confucius Institutes, Chinese writers, artists, Chinese learners and other people from all walks of life sent video messages to express their love for the language and support for international Chinese language education.

Sandro Roberto Valentini, rector of São Paulo State University (UNESP) said that learning Chinese is like a cultural adventure trip and helps expand the way people think about the world. In the 11 years since the establishment of the Confucius Institute at their university, they have brought the Chinese language and Chinese culture to as many people as possible, promoting language exchange and cultural understanding between China and Brazil.

Cao Wenxuan, professor and writer at Peking University, said that Chinese is a tool for his thinking, both in teaching and writing. Cao hopes Chinese learners will overcome their fear of poor pronunciation, learn Chinese characters and read Chinese literature.

Zheng Mengzhuang, president of Zhejiang Normal University, said that it is because of the carrier of the Chinese language that Chinese culture can flourish. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues around the world, this should be a time for Chinese educators, learners and fans to unite to fight together. He also hoped people can use the internet to carry out Chinese education and work to overcome the difficulties.

In addition, the China Cultural Center in Athens and the Hellenic Chinese Culture Association also held a week-long online exchange and exhibition since April 19 to mark the 11th anniversary of the UN Chinese Language Day.

During this activity, organizers will expand the influence of Chinese language and Chinese culture through online communication and exhibition such as "online lectures." They also plan to hold an exhibition in Athens after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

(Cover image from VCG)