ISTANBUL, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Istanbul Okan University marked UN Chinese Language Day on Monday with a series of interactive activities centered on Chinese characters, drawing students eager to explore the language's cultural roots and modern uses.
The event, organized by the university's Confucius Institute under the theme "Adventures in Chinese Characters," featured five stations covering traditional calligraphy, seal carving, digital handwriting and social media engagement.
UN Chinese Language Day is observed annually to promote multilingualism and the equal use of the United Nations' six official working languages.
Hu Wei, the institute's Chinese director, said growing Chinese business investment in Türkiye and rising tourism have driven demand for language skills. "We hope more people will be inspired to learn Chinese and become ambassadors for friendly exchanges between China and Türkiye," she said.
Students said they found the hands-on format effective. Ebrar Caliskan, who uses the Chinese name Xinhui, said she was surprised by the turnout and found the digital character-writing exercises particularly engaging. "It's fun, but you also learn about China's history at the same time," she said.
Translation student Deniz Gumuslu said character-matching games helped reinforce what she had already learned. "It was fun to recall my knowledge and learn new characters," she said.
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