Xiamen to help decide Chinese Character of the Year

The 2017 Cross-Straits Chinese Character Festival is set to take place in Haicang district of Xiamen, Fujian province on Oct 26 to promote cultural exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

The festival has been running for 10 years and has made great contributions towards cross-Straits relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, by highlighting their shared traditions and culture.

The festival has attracted numerous cross-Straits celebrities from political elites and cultural masters to prominent businesspeople and sports stars.

The highlight of this year's festival will be the "Chinese Character of the Year" — a special contest aimed at deciding one specific Chinese character which best describes relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan over the past year.

One of a selected 36 characters will be decided by popular vote, following the recommendations of the celebrity guests and members of the public. The recommendation period runs from Nov 8 to 28.

After selecting the 36 candidate Chinese characters, cross-Straits residents can vote for the Chinese Character of the Year from Nov 29 to Dec 13 with the result being announced in Taipei, capital of Taiwan province on Dec 15.

Besides the selection of the Chinese Character of the Year, the festival will also hold calligraphy activities and a painting exhibition, as well as holding lectures on Chinese characters, and writing dedications for Yan Siqi, the pioneer of developing Taiwan by 20 famous cross-Straits calligraphers.

The Cross-Straits Chinese Character Festival has been held in Haicang district since 2014, helping the area to become a cultural hub.