Exhibition on Chinese characters shows language origin, cultural exchanges in London

Yukteshwar Kumar, a scholar with the University of Bath, speaks at the exhibition "Hanzi of the West, Letters of the East" in London, Britain, Nov. 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

A special event for an exhibition in London tracing the evolution of Chinese characters and their role in cultural exchange between China and the West kicked off Saturday at a gallery in London.

The event combined historical displays with contemporary design and discussions between invited scholars and guests.

Titled "Hanzi of the West, Letters of the East," the exhibition, lasting from Nov. 19 to 23, features more than 100 original works inspired by hanzi, or Chinese characters.

The exhibition, organized by Tongji University and China's Art and Design Press, is designed as a step-by-step narrative that uses Chinese characters as a thread to tell stories about China and about cultural encounters between China and Britain, the organizers said.

"The theme title invites us to see Chinese characters and alphabetic letters not as opposites, but as companions: two visual logics that both record sound, shape meaning and express emotion," said Wu Yun, dean of the School of Foreign Studies at Tongji University.

One section explores how artists and designers take hanzi as a visual and conceptual starting point for new work, presenting pieces that reinterpret strokes, radicals and character structures through book design, fashion, installation art and creative cultural products. Another section traces the early transmission of hanzi to the West and the pre-20th century efforts to systematize Chinese movable type, according to curators.

Explanatory panels and visual timelines set out the development of Chinese characters from their early origins through successive stages of transformation. Visitors can follow how the script has shifted in form and use over centuries, while seeing how it continues to inspire design today.

Yukteshwar Kumar, a scholar with the University of Bath, said learning Chinese had shown him how much meaning is embedded in individual characters.

"For me, the process of learning Chinese has been fascinating, because every character carries a story, and an exhibition like this helps people in Britain and China understand each other better, and that makes it very meaningful," he told the audience in fluent Mandarin. 

A man visits the exhibition "Hanzi of the West, Letters of the East" in London, Britain, Nov. 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

People visit the exhibition "Hanzi of the West, Letters of the East" in London, Britain, Nov. 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

People visit the exhibition "Hanzi of the West, Letters of the East" in London, Britain, Nov. 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

A visitor views fine steel Chinese characters for Chinese typewriters at the exhibition "Hanzi of the West, Letters of the East" in London, Britain, Nov. 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying)