Calligraphy, One of World’s Great Artistic Traditions, Builds Bridges of Mutual

Appreciation, Understanding Says Secretary-General at Headquarters Exhibition

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks today at the opening of an exhibition of calligraphy by United Nations staff and Chinese artists:

It is a great pleasure to join you.

I thank everyone involved in making this exhibition possible.

Calligraphy is one of the world's long and great artistic traditions.  It is also a common cultural heritage of China, Japan and Korea.

I have long been a fan of calligraphy.  I did a bit of calligraphy when I was a very young little boy in elementary school.

But that was more than 50 or 55 years ago.  Most of you were not born yet.  Today, I look at calligraphy with new eyes.  Let me tell you why.

Over the past couple of weeks, my wife and I have been taking lessons from Professor Zhou Bin.

I thank Ambassador Li [Baodong] and particularly Madame Li for introducing me to Professor Zhou Bin.

Professor Zhou is a master who teaches many people, not only Chinese or Asians, but many people at the United Nations.  And I met today the teacher of Teacher Zhou Bin and I don't know what the relationship of me to him is.  He is the grandmaster of calligraphy and I thank him very much!

Professor Zhou Bin is putting up with my modest efforts.  I feel like a very young school boy in practicing calligraphy, just trying to learn on my own feet!

People may think that calligraphy is just simply a lovely form of handwriting that involves no exertion at all.  But that’s not true.

Let me tell you, calligraphy is very difficult and hard, very hard.

You have to have your hands in the right place.  You have to hold the brush with the right grip.  […]

Believe it or not, the horizontal stroke is also very difficult.  Just simply drawing a line horizontally, my hand used to tremble all the time.

When it comes to the running style, I cannot even dream of doing that.  I was told at the minimum it would take five years for me to even think about writing in writing style.

And sometimes, after a lesson, I have back pain!

You may wonder why I do it.  Then again, you probably know the answer.

Calligraphy brings peace of mind.

One must concentrate.  You cannot think about anything else.  You need to devote yourself to every line, every dot and every movement.

All of that, added together, brings peace of mind.

But there is more.  Just look at what we have here today:  people of many countries, deeply engaged with a cultural tradition that is not their own.  I have already seen many works written by United Nations staff who are not Chinese, Korean or Japanese.  They are coming from different countries, from Europe and America.

Calligraphy builds bridges of mutual appreciation and mutual understanding.

Finally, there is the idea itself that is depicted in the characters that many of us have drawn:  the characters that stand for peace.  […] These works are also sending an important message to the world.

As Secretary-General, I'm committed to bring peace all around the world.

Let me again thank the Chinese Mission for its role in supporting this wonderful exhibition, and for its many contributions to the work of the United Nations.  I sincerely hope that I will be able to continue this calligraphy when Professor Zhou Bin comes back to the United States again in the near future.

I would also like to send my best wishes to the people of China for a vibrant Year of the Dragon!

Xin Chun Kuai Le.

新春快乐

Xie Xie.  [Thank you.]

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For information media • not an official record