The Chinese Language on the Global Stage

正Observed on April 20, is the UN Chinese Language Day. The exact date comes in tribute to Cangjie, the legendary figure credited with havinginventedChinese characters. The theme of this year’s UN Chinese Language Day is "Highlighting Pictographs,"as pictographs are the origin of Chinese characters.     

A Green Approach

On November 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a written statement to the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. He offered a three-point proposal, including upholding multilateral consensus, focusing on concrete actions and acceler-ating the green transition, with a view to offering Chinese experience and expertise to the global response to climate change.     

FIVE DECADES AND COUNTING

Five decades may have gone by, but Ye Zhixiong, now in his 90s, can still clearly recall the warm welcome the Chinese delegation received inside the UN Assembly Hall on November 15, 1971. Ye, a Xinhua News Agency reporter at the time, was dis-patched there to witness the debut of the delegation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) at the UN. Some 20 days earlier, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 to restore the PRC's lawful seat.     

A Roaring Revel

Chinese New Year folk art takes center stage in the nation’s capital An exhibition on Chinese folk art opened to the public at Beijing’s China National Arts and Crafts Museum on February 22, featuring 164 pieces and sets of traditional folk and art works in celebration of the Year of the Tiger.     

CHINA AND THE UN AT 50

China was one of the architects of the UN. The country was the first signa-tory of the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945. Yet it was only in October 1971, with the Chinese delegation led by then Vice Foreign Minister Qiao Guanhua, that the People's Republic of China's representa-tion in the UN was resumed. Since that time, the UN has had the great privilege of witnessing and support-ing China in achieving one of the greatest periods of socioeconomic progress in world history.     

MULTILATERALISM UNDER NEW CIRCUMSTANCES

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People's Republic of China's lawful seat in the UN. With this historic event, the Chinese people, accounting for one fourth of the world's population, were able to return to the UN family. In the five decades since, China has stood for sovereign equality and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs, while opposing power politics and hegemony. It has safeguarded international justice, adhering to equity and impartiality, and opposed geopolitical rivalry and exclusive blocs. The country has also supported the political settle-ment of hotspot issues in line with the spirit of the UN Charter and stood up to the use of force or uni-lateral sanctions.     

中国仪式艺术研究综述

中国仪式艺术的研究深受西方人类学艺术研究的影响,但发展进程相对滞缓,基本与中国人类学界的艺术研究同步。其研究发展历程大致可分为两个阶段:20世纪80年代前为仪式艺术研究的发端阶段,成果多见于调查报告中;20世纪80年代至今,大量的西方人类学理论被介绍到国内,仪式艺术的研究方法、对象和路径都向多元化发展,著述颇丰。     

Biodiversity Is Life

Greater numbers of species are disappearing from the planet.Biodiversity protection has become an urgent task for all of us.Given this,the UN declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity.     

Defenders of the Realm

On October 25, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended and addressed a conference in Beijing to mark the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the People's Republic of China's lawful seat in the UN. Summarizing China's philosophy as a major country that pursues peaceful development for the benefit of people worldwide, he called on the international community to dy-namically advocate the common values of humanity featuring peace, develop-ment, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, determinedly defend the authority of the UN Charter and coop-eratively observe true multilateralism. For the past 50 years, the Chinese people have promoted economic and social development, with overall na-tional strength continuously on the rise; knowing all too well the value of stability, they have followed an inde-pendent foreign policy of peace, stood firm for justice and resolutely opposed the practices of power politics. China has stayed true to the purpose and prin-ciples of the UN Charter and upheld its central role in international affairs.     

New Understanding of the Socialist Human Rights Concept with Chinese Characteristics and its Practice: An Overview of the International Conference on the International Cooperation in Human Rights and the Chinese Perspective

The International Conference on the International Cooperation in Human Rights and the Chinese Perspective organized by the Institute of International Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, took place in Beijing, China from October 22-23, 2016. Both Chinese and foreign human rights experts convened to exchange their opinions on the new development of the human rights theories and practices, especially from the Chinese perspective. The socialist concept on human rights with Chinese characteristics was discussed intensively during the meeting and new terms such as "the Human Rights Model of the South" and "the Human Rights Perspective of the South" were raised. The participants interpreted and summed up the experiences and features of the Chinese socialist human rights cause. The drafting and implementation of the Chinese National Human Rights Action Plans and the progress in the promotion of rule of law in China were mentioned. They highly valued the constructive roles played by China in the international human rights cooperation field, especially under the United Nations(UN) human rights regime and for the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.     

TOWARD A NEW STAGE

On September 21, during the general debate of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to all member states the building of a global community of development with a shared future. This initiative comes at a time when the world is halfway to meet-ing the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and at a time when COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on global development, and climate change is bringing both op-portunities and challenges. It aims to encourage countries to work together to steer the world toward a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclu-sive growth. Inadequate, unbalanced and unequal development is a prob-lem faced by many countries and a major challenge to the international community. The solution put forward by Xi underlines the importance of common prosperity in achieving sus-tainable development and building a global development community.     

Folk Art:A Splendid Gem

FOLK art has a vitality that lasts through centuries,and the aesthetic pleasure aroused by the art can be felt for generations.The book Chinese Folk Art presents readers with magnificent pictures depicting the folk art of Chinas Han people accompanied by a concise introduction.The book,of great artistic and cultural value,provides comprehensive,systematic,and authentic information about Han folk customs and culture,some of which are currently in decline.     

论中国文艺美学的古今对接之途

中国学人建构的美学体系和开展的美学研究,不能离开中国古典的丰富资源和经验。从问题、范畴、概念入手,探讨其古今对接的可能性的具体、个案研究尤为需要。宏观上的中国古典美学的现代价值建设要奠基于对那些通向现代的古典文艺美学范畴、概念系列的成功清理。     

As-Salamu Alaykum From Beijing!

It's December—that time of year again. No, not Christmas; I'm talking about the UN Arabic Language Day which falls on December 18.UNESCO initially started to observe this day in 2012 to "celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity." The selfproclaimed linguist I am, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this day while in Beijing than by exploring Arabic through the eyes of its Chinese apprentices.     

Unfounded Call For Taiwan's UN Representation

The recent hype of Taiwan's "meaningful participation" in the UN system by some Western politicians and media organizations echoed related claims made by pro-independence elements in the Chinese island province.     

Follow Your Heart

Larry Warsh,an experienced art collector and dealer in New York,has been involved in the art world for more than 25 years.Since 2000,he has focused on collecting and championing contemporary Chinese art.In 2007,he founded AW Asia,a private organization dedicated to the promotion of contemporary Chinese art through institutional loans and museum acquisitions,curatorial projects,publishing and educational programs. In an interview with Beijing Review reporter Chen Wen,Warsh shares his thoughts on collecting Chinese art.     

不同世代的精神共鸣——“现代艺术论战”中的徐复观与刘国松

20世纪60年代的台湾“现代艺术论战”,是中国美术现代化的重要组成部分。虽然徐复观和刘国松对现代艺术的态度、艺术的本质及艺术创新的方式上有着不同的理解,但他们在中国画的传统、技术在绘画中的地位,绘画的功能,庄学对中国艺术的影响及中国画现代化的路向等方面实有着诸多的精神共鸣,对这两个世代在社会转型期的美学选择和价值取向进行总结和反思,对中国画的现代化和中国文化的现代创新有着重要的启示意义。     

书法文化的人生密码

书法通常被当作艺术。然而,如果将中国书法仅仅理解为一种艺术,那就曲解和委屈了书法,误读了它对于中国民族的深刻意义。在其他文明中,书法也许只是艺术,但在中国,它却是文化本身。书法、书法史,是中国人的文化基因图表,演绎着中国人的精神世界和性格构造。书之＂法＂与人之＂法＂统一,赋予其＂方不中矩,圆不副规＂的＂从心所欲不逾矩＂的中国式自由意境;刚柔性格,进退智慧,演绎着＂志在飞移＂、＂将奔未驰＂的＂无为而无不为＂的人生大智慧,＂书写＂着儒道佛三位一体的极富弹性的安身立命的基地;真善美贯通,表达了＂风骚之意＂与＂天地之心＂的天作之合,沉默庄严地演奏着中国人高明悠远的灵魂协奏曲。     

Wu Weishan:Telling Chinese Stories Through Sculpture

ON November 25,2020,the late French sculptor Jean Cardot's artwork Taureau lumière [Cattle in the Sun],donated by Académie des Beaux-Arts of France to the National Art Museum of China(NAMOC),was set up and unveiled in the Sculpture Park of the latter. At the ceremony,Wu Weishan,NAMOC curator,said,"Chinese art in the 20th century is characterized by the borrowing of Western elements.The art exchanges be-tween China and France have contributed a lot to this.Today,we are here,witnessing the unveiling of this French masterpiece.Our bilateral friendship conveyed by it will be written down in the history of Sino-French art exchanges? For years,Wu has been dedicated to expressing the spirit of Chinese culture through sculpture for cross-borderunderstanding and cooperation in arts.