Opening of the Exhibition of Award-Winning Works from the 7th “Impressions of China” Teachers-and-Students Seal Carving Competition of the Chinese Classics Recitation, Writing and Speech Contest

On January 8, 2026, the exhibition of outstanding award-winning works from the 7th “Impressions of China” Teachers-and-Students Seal Carving Competition of the Chinese Classics Recitation, Writing and Speech Contest opened at Hebei University. The seal carving competition was sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the National Language Commission, and co-organized by Hebei University and Beijing Gehua Cultural Center Co., Ltd. At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, more than 100 people gathered on site, including representatives from the Department of Language and Character Application Management of the Ministry of Education, the Executive Committee of the Chinese Classics Recitation, Writing and Lecture Contest (Language and Literature Publishing House), the Hebei Provincial Department of Education, leaders from education and cultural-tourism systems of multiple provinces and cities, renowned seal-carving artists, and teacher and student representatives, jointly celebrating this cultural event.

The Chinese Classics Recitation, Writing and Speech Contest is a national public-interest competition sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the National Language Commission, playing an important role in guiding young people to engage with the classics and strengthening cultural confidence. As one of the contest’s major events, the seal carving competition uses the art of seal carving to transmit Chinese cultural lineage and help teachers and students deepen cultural identification. This edition of the “Impressions of China” seal carving competition attracted more than 17,000 registrants at home and abroad, received nearly 7,000 submissions, and ultimately awarded 616 outstanding works. The exhibited works combine traditional foundations with contemporary vitality: they continue classical traditions such as pre-Qin ancient seals and Han dynasty seals while incorporating modern aesthetic innovations. The seal faces condense the striving spirit of “self-improvement and unceasing effort,” the patriotic sentiment of “a landscape as picturesque as a painting,” and the harmonious ideal of “beauty shared by all,” vividly demonstrating contemporary teachers’ and students’ deep understanding of and creative practice in traditional culture.

At the concurrently held “Master Lecture,” Luo Pengpeng, Council Member of the China Calligraphers Association and Honorary Dean of the Seal Carving Institute at the China Academy of Art Research, delivered a talk titled “’Encounter’—The Contemporary Development of Chinese Seal Carving Art,” interpreting the historical thread and contemporary value of seal carving, exploring ways for the art to integrate into modern life, and presenting the audience with an inventive cultural feast.

This exhibition provided a high-quality platform for exchange among seal-carving learners and enthusiasts, fostered a strong campus atmosphere for inheriting China’s excellent traditional culture, and converted the competition’s achievements into effective resources for language and cultural education. A Hebei University official stated that the university will fully leverage its role as a national base for promoting language and characters, use this event as an opportunity to deepen the integration of language promotion and arts education, further promote the dissemination of seal carving and Chinese classics among youth, and contribute the university’s strength to the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s excellent traditional culture and to the building of a strong education and cultural nation.

Experts visiting the seal carving exhibition