Exhibition on Chinese typography opens in South Africa

To celebrate International Chinese Language Day, "The Way of Type — Modernisation of Chinese Typography" exhibition opened at the Welgemeend Function and Conference Venue in Cape Town, South Africa on April 19.

The exhibition puts 151 pieces on display to give a full picture of the modern development of Chinese fonts. Its aim is to promote international cultural exchanges, enhance academic cohesion and stimulate interest and enthusiasm in people from all over the world to learn the Chinese language.

Fan Di'an, president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and of the China Artists Association, acted as academic chair of the exhibition. Curators are Yue Jieqiong, deputy director of CAFA's Co-lnnovation Center for Art Creation and Research on Silk Road and Liu Zhao, associate professor at CAFA and director of the Association Typographique Internationale.

This exhibition showcases the development of font design at multiple levels by gathering materials collected by museums, libraries and experts at home and abroad through various forms.

Lv Pinjing, vice-president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Yue Jieqiong, curator and deputy director of CAFA's Co-lnnovation Center, expressed their congratulations on the opening of the exhibition via video.

Tang Chang'an, deputy consul-general of China in Cape Town, Ma Yue, chairman of the Chinese Language Teachers Association South Africa and director of the Chinese language program at the University of Cape Town, Wu Changhong, executive chairman of the Chinese Language Teachers Association South Africa, Zeng Liren, dean of the Confucius Institute for Chinese Medicine at the University of Western Cape and Ferdi B Dick, a local South African artist and designer, attended the opening ceremony.

Lv delivered a speech on behalf of CAFA. He stated the development of contemporary Chinese font design is closely related to the academy, and it will take this exhibition as an opportunity to promote the development of Chinese type design in the digital era, make more contributions to enhancing the influence of Chinese culture and design richer creative works. He said he sincerely hopes the two countries will take this exhibition as a chance to build a bridge for cultural exchange, mutual learning and common development.

Curator Yue Jieqiong mentioned this exhibition not only has significance as a "general history", but also looks into world history by acknowledging the interplay between Eastern and Western technologies and ideas. She added she expects South African visitors to find this exhibition informative and rewarding while appreciating the rich design. She also expressed the hope Chinese calligraphy can inspire the future of type design in the era of rapid development of artificial intelligence.

Tang expressed congratulations on the holding of this exhibition on behalf of Consul-General You Wenze and the Consulate General in Cape Town, and wished the exhibition a complete success, adding this year is an important year for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. He also said the Chinese Language Teachers Association and the "Chinese Bridge" Club in Cape Town, as a major cultural interaction mechanism of China and South Africa, have played a vital role in spreading Chinese culture and promoting exchanges and friendship. He expressed his hope China and South Africa will deepen their cooperation and communication, and the friendship between the two countries will last forever.

Zeng said the exhibition records the evolution of Chinese printing and the endeavors of generations of people in the industry to improve the form and function of the Chinese language. He expressed his hope visitors will enjoy the exhibition and gain a better understanding of Chinese language, culture and aesthetics.

In 2022, the exhibition toured in Anyang, Nanjing, Ningbo, Beijing, Huzhou, and Qingdao and was well-received. The exhibition was also held at the University of Reading in the UK on April 17, and will be held in Gwangju, South Korea on April 28. The exhibition is expected to spread Chinese characters and convey Chinese culture in a more in-depth and effective manner.

Symposiums were also held concurrently with the exhibition. Experts in the fields of Chinese characters and the arts from China and South Africa carried out exchanges and discussions on Chinese language, the commonalities between Chinese pictographs and South African rock paintings, the promotion and protection of contemporary languages and characters and the modernization of language.