On March 16, a strategic cooperation agreement was signed between the OUC and the Yantai Chinese Culture Promotion in China’s Inkstone Culture Exhibition Centre. The ceremony’s attendees included Zhang Li, the Honorary President of the Yantai Chinese Culture Promotion and former Deputy Chief of the PLA General Staff Headquarters; Liu Hongjun, a member of the CPPCC National Committee, former Deputy Commander of the People’s Armed Police and President of the Yantai Chinese Culture Promotion; Lieutenant General and OUC President Yang Zhijian, and Assistant to the President Liu Chen.
According to the agreement, the two parties will join hands to develop courses centred on inkstone culture and educational resources. The joint venture will also involve fostering academic exchanges related to traditional Chinese culture and arts on the basis of resource sharing and win-win cooperation. Both sides will employ the same web platform to carry out continuing education oriented towards a multitude of learners.
Yang Zhijian pointed out that promoting the excellence of Chinese traditional culture, including inkstone culture, and guarding the spiritual homeland of the Chinese nation, were not only the common responsibilities and obligations of all descendants of the Yan and Huang Emperors, but also significant duties of those engaged in cultural and educational professions. Inkstone use in China developed over and extraordinary length of time. It was an important fruit of Chinese culture, linking its history with the real lives of its people, now and in the future. The signing of the agreement was beneficial for realizing complementary advantages and reinforcing the popularity and promotion of inkstone culture. It facilitates both organizations making their due contribution to the innovation and development of promoting the excellence of Chinese traditional culture.
At the signing ceremony, the “China Dragon Inkstone” handover ceremony was held jointly by the China Yanhuang Culture Research Association, Yantai Chinese Culture Promotion, the State Oceanic Administration of the People’s Republic of China, the OUC, the Beijing State-owned Culture Assets Supervision and Administration Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality and the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education. The ceremony included an announcement that ten thousand inkstones were being donated to Beijing’s primary and secondary schools.
By Chen Qi, the OUC