February 17, 2025
字圆其说 x 美哉汉字 · 字里乾坤
Interactive Exhibition
In collaboration with the renowned magazine 《美哉汉字》, published by Hansheng Publishing House, the I Got One project held a month-long exhibition at Neililand in Shanghai.
Hansheng’s The Beauty of Chinese Characters is a beloved classic that blends Chinese characters with traditional folk art forms such as paper cutting and embroidery to craft a visually poetic and culturally rooted narrative. Its work celebrates the intrinsic beauty of Chinese character forms and meanings through the lens of traditional aesthetics.
The I Got One project, on the other hand, presents a fresh, cross-cultural perspective. Drawing on the creativity of Chinese language learners from around the world, the project reimagines Chinese characters in playful and contemporary ways. Each work not only reshapes the form of the character but also infuses it with deeply personal narratives shaped by the learners’ native languages and cultural backgrounds. These reinterpretations push characters beyond linguistic boundaries, revealing surprising and delightful new meanings.
This encounter between tradition and innovation, East and global perspectives, invites us to see Chinese characters with new eyes. It opens a dialogue across time and culture, prompting reflection on both the visual and semantic dimensions of the script. We warmly invite you to step into this cultural universe of Chinese characters, where meaning, memory, and imagination converge, and discover the profound potential of intercultural exchange through language.
The exhibition was thoughtfully organized into several thematic sections, including an online showcase of Charac-Turn the World and the interactive installation The Book of Answers from Charac-Tell. Each section invited visitors to not just observe but actively participate—flipping through pages, guessing meanings, and contributing their own interpretations—turning the exhibition into a truly immersive experience.
A group of students from the Post-Advanced Chinese course, led by Professor Beilei Gu, attended the special preview of the exhibition. They enthusiastically engaged with the works, sparking lively conversations around language, culture, and creativity. Many expressed how refreshing it was to see Chinese characters reimagined through such personal and global lenses, offering them new ways to connect with the language they’ve been studying.
