Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

To celebrate the New Year, the Department of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) organized a calligraphy writing session at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on January 1. The event is part of the Sixth Chinese Character Festival.
The event attracted over one thousand enthusiasts. The participants each wrote one Chinese character on a piece of square red paper, expressing their anticipations and hopes for the year 2010.
Sixteen head writer officials, including President Ma Ying-jeou, Premier Wu Den-yih, and Mayor Hau Lung-bin, headed the event. The President kicked off the session by writing a 16-character poem with the other dignitaries.
According to DOCA, Chinese characters are important cultural heritage passed down from our ancestors. Therefore, the agency invites everyone who enjoys the beauty of Chinese characters to attend upcoming festival events.
The department also called upon the public to support the campaign seeking World Heritage status for Chinese characters.
More information on the Chinese Character Festival is available at event’s Chinese activity website: http://chinese-character-festival.org.tw/