Calligraphy festival opens at Van Mieu- Quoc Tu Giam

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The 2017 Spring Calligraphy Festival, organized by the Hanoi Municipal Department of Culture and Sports in collaboration with the Center for Scientific and Cultural Activities of Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam, will run from January 21 until February 11 (or the fifteenth day in the first Lunar month of 2017).

The festival will see the participation of 77 scholars, who have qualified skills in writing and good knowledge of Han (old Chinese)– Nom (old Vietnamese) and calligraphy, and have been certified by the organizers.

The festival will see the participation of 77 scholars, who have qualified skills in writing and good knowledge of Han (old Chinese)– Nom (old Vietnamese) and calligraphy, and have been certified by the organizers.

The organizers of the festival, reportedly, have also devoted a number of places for over-70-y.o-members of the calligraphy clubs from Hanoi and other provinces, who have contributed significantly to teaching and promoting calligraphy.

Within the framework of the spring calligraphy festival, the organizing panel has also decided to create a traditional exhibition-fair, showcasing handicraft products of Hanoi’s traditional villages, such as sculptural items, mosaic, rattan and bamboo, silk and pottery products; and other fine art products.

Calligraphic pieces with their fine and deep themes can educate Hanoi's youths in preserving and promoting good national traditional values.

A section named “Joining hand with kids in innovative activities – exploring Tet paintings” has also been held to introduce children with folk paintings, and to provide opportunities for children to practice painting.

"Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam, known as Vietnam’s first university, was the center of education, which produced a number of talented people for the nation. Today, the Temple of Literature is the place to store and preserve both tangible and intangible cultural heritages, including traditions of “Being keen on studying,” “Being pious and respectful to parents,” “Being venerated to teachers,” and “Being respectful to talents.” Whenever spring comes, people from all localities across the country visit the Temple of Literature to ask calligraphers for meaningful words. This is a Vietnamese beautiful tradition.” Truong Minh Tien, deputy head of the Hanoi Municipal Department of Culture and Sports said.

Truong Minh Tien also added that calligraphic pieces with their fine and deep themes can educate Hanoi's youths in preserving and promoting good national traditional values as well as help gradually improve people's ability to feel and perceive meanings and artistic features of calligraphy.