"Expectation" named Chinese Character of the Year

Zhang Binghuang, chairman of the Taiwan Chinese Calligraphy Society, announces "望" (meaning "expectation" in English) as the Chinese Character of the Year at the awards ceremony for the 2018 Cross-Straits Chinese Character Festival held in Taipei, Taiwan on Dec 14. [Photo/ xmnn.cn]

"望" (meaning "expectation" in English) was named the Chinese Character of the Year at an awards ceremony for the 2018 Cross-Straits Chinese Character Festival held in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan province, on Dec 14.

The selection process attracted numerous cross-Straits residents and celebrities, from political elites and cultural masters to prominent business people and sports stars.

The winning character was selected out of 40 contenders in an online vote from the beginning of November to the middle of December, receiving a total of 511,871 votes.

The sponsors said that "望" precisely summarizes cross-Straits relations' ups and downs in 2018 and reflects the fact that residents from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan still have hopes for peaceful cross-Straits development and look forward to a better life.

After announcing the Chinese Character of the Year, renowned calligraphers from both sides of the Taiwan Straits wrote "望" in different ways with Chinese writing brushes on a long scroll.

The 2018 Cross-Straits Chinese Character Festival was sponsored by the Xiamen Newspaper Agency, the Xiamen Calligraphers Association, the Taiwan Want Want China Times Group, the Taiwan Chinese Calligraphy Society and other related agencies.

The festival has been running for 10 years and has contributed greatly towards the relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan by highlighting shared traditions and culture.