Secretary-General, at New York Event, Says Calligraphy among World’s Greatest Artistic Traditions, Shared Cultural Heritage of China, Japan, Korea

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at a calligraphy event, in New York today:

It is a pleasure to join you.  I thank the Permanent Mission of China and all those involved in making this gathering possible.  Calligraphy is one of the world’s greatest and oldest artistic traditions.  It is also a shared cultural heritage of China, Japan and Korea.

As some of you may know, I am a fan of calligraphy and a bit of a practitioner myself.  You may think it is a gentle process, but I can tell you that it is very difficult — on the hand, on the mind, and on the back.  Yet, the results can be beautiful — at least, if you are a master like Professor Zhou Bin.

Professor Zhou Bin is a master and my teacher.  I think you will prefer to look at his work and not mine.  Of course, he is far more than my teacher.  He has taught and lectured across the world.  He has been an ambassador for calligraphy, educating the world about calligraphy and building bridges, people and cultures.  I wish his efforts and special exhibition a great success.