HKUST Presents "Ode to Chinese Characters" Calligraphy Exhibition by Su Shishu

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has received a generous donation of 35 calligraphy works from the Ode to Chinese Characters series by renowned contemporary Chinese calligraphy master Mr. SU Shishu. The collection has been showcased in an exhibition at the Lee Shau Kee Library from August 1 to September 7, 2026.

This marks the first exhibition in Hong Kong of the complete set of 35 treasured calligraphy works from the series. Accompanying activities, including a lecture on Chinese calligraphy, will offer HKUST faculty, students, and members of the public a valuable opportunity to gain deeper insights into and appreciation of traditional Chinese arts and culture. The donation will also further advance the University's efforts in academic research, cultural promotion and international exchange in the field of Chinese character art.

The "Ode to Chinese Characters" Calligraphy Exhibition by Su Shishu is jointly organized by HKUST, Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Limited and the Beijing Su Shishu Museum of Hanzi Art. An opening ceremony and donation agreement signing ceremony was held on August 1, 2026. Officiating and speaking at the event were Prof. Nancy IP, HKUST President; Mr. Su Shishu, Standing Committee Member of the 11th and 12th National Committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the 7th President of the China Calligraphers Association; Prof. Ambrose KING Yeo-Chi, Former President and Emeritus Professor of Sociology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Mr. FU Weizhong, Chairman of Sino United Publishing (Holdings) Limited; and Prof. Charles NG, HKUST Vice-President for Institutional Advancement. Marking the official launch of the exhibition, the ceremony brought together faculty, students, industry leaders of the arts and cultural sector, and distinguished guests from across the community to celebrate this landmark event, which promotes the preservation, appreciation and exchange of Chinese culture.

President Nancy Ip expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Su Shishu for his generous donation, and stated, "The 35 works generously donated by Mr. Su Shishu, coinciding with HKUST's 35th anniversary, resonate meaningfully with the University's remarkable journey and embody a shared aspiration to foster a fusion of innovation and humanities. HKUST is committed to nurturing talent with a global outlook, an entrepreneurial spirit and an innovative mindset. Equally important, we place great emphasis on whole-person education, fostering students' cultural literacy and appreciation of the arts.

Mr. Su's Ode to Chinese Characters vividly traces the evolution of Chinese civilization over millennia. The evolution of each brushstroke and character is akin to the transmission and advancement of genetic traits in the life sciences, preserving a rich heritage while continuously inspiring innovation and renewal. I hope this exhibition will enable HKUST students and faculty members from diverse cultural backgrounds to experience the profound and enduring appeal of Chinese culture and serve as a catalyst for deeper cross-cultural dialogue and understanding."

Mr. Su Shisu remarked, "HKUST is renowned for its achievements in science and technology. It is a hub of innovation and a home of rational inquiry. Some may ask: Why hold a calligraphy exhibition at a university of science and technology? My answer is this: technology explores the future, while Chinese characters lead us back to our roots. The spiritual heritage of a nation grows precisely where deep roots meet new branches. Chinese characters are the world's only ancient writing system that has endured uninterrupted for millennia and remains in active use today. As artificial intelligence advances at an unprecedented pace, HKUST students stand at the forefront of technological innovation. Yet I would argue that the further technology advances, the more important it becomes to preserve our cultural roots. I hope that, alongside deriving formulae and writing code, you will also take up the brush and write a few Chinese characters. Each horizontal and vertical stroke forms the framework of a civilization thousands of years old; every left-falling and right-falling stroke embodies the indomitable spirit and character of the Chinese people."

Chinese calligraphy and painting are not only expressions of the aesthetics beauty of brush and ink, but also powerful vehicles for the transmission of literati values, history, and cultural heritage. Widely acclaimed as a role model of the literati calligraphy tradition, Mr. Su seamlessly blends tradition with innovation in his works. The works donated to HKUST are drawn from his acclaimed Ode to Chinese Characters series. Featuring an intricate interplay of diverse script styles, including oracle bone script, bronze inscriptions, small seal script, running script, and cursive script, the collection illustrates the evolution of Chinese characters and the art of Chinese calligraphy over several millennia. Together, these works offer visitors a rich cultural and artistic journey that transcends time.

Ode to Chinese Characters has been hailed as a 3D textbook on the 5,000-year history of Chinese characters. Carefully structured and progressively developed, the exhibition's 35 works are organized into four thematic sections:

Opening Concept: Three introductory works, Ode to the Chinese Character, Championing the Chinese Character, and In Praise of China, are presented in small seal script and running script. Together they articulate the exhibition's mission: to present the 5,000-year tradition of Chinese characters as a continuous lineage, to revitalize the art of Chinese character writing, and to promote traditional Chinese culture.

Nine Script Styles: The eighteen works trace the evolution of Chinese script from incised oracle-bone inscriptions and the bronze inscriptions of the Shang and Zhou, through the Qin seal script, Han clerical script, Wei stele script, and Tang regular script, and on to the fluid elegance of running and cursive scripts, spanning nine forms of script in total. Each script is paired with a verse of praise composed by Mr. Su as its "thesis," and a classic stele inscription or model work as its "proof".

Six Categories of Characters: Twelve works present the traditional Six Categories of Chinese Characters theory, including pictographs, indicatives, compound ideographs, phono-semantic compounds, phonetic loans, and mutually explanatory characters. The works elucidate the wisdom behind character creation and reveal the conceptual thinking of earlier generations through verse and examples.

Conclusion: The exhibition concludes with two large-format signature works, In Praise of Chinese Calligraphy and In Praise of the Bauhinia. The former offers a sweeping overview of the history of Chinese calligraphy across the ages, while the latter turns its focus to Hong Kong. Together, they bring the exhibition to a fitting close, completing a rich and coherent exploration of the aesthetics and cultural legacy of Chinese characters.

In addition, HKUST will host a lecture by Mr. Su Shishu in early September. The event will provide HKUST students, faculty members, and secondary school students with a unique opportunity to experience the enduring appeal of traditional Chinese culture and calligraphy art, and to gain a deeper appreciation of their richness and beauty.

Mr. Su Shishu is a distinguished contemporary Chinese calligrapher. He served as a Member of the 10th National Committee of CPPCC and as a Standing Committee Member of the 11th and 12th National Committees of CPPCC. He is also a Member of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History and served as the 7th President of the China Calligraphers Association. In addition, he has taught calligraphy at Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, and other institutions.

Trained first by Mr. Liu Boqin and later under the renowned master Mr. Qi Gong, Mr. Su is proficient in all major script styles, with particular expertise in seal and clerical scripts. As chief editor of major reference works such as The Complete Collection of Chinese Calligraphy and Selected Steles and Model Calligraphy Through the Dynasties, his publications have sold more than 10 million copies and remain highly influential. In 2008, he received the Taofen Publishing Award, one of China's highest honors in publishing. Beyond exhibiting his works in China and abroad, he has been a dedicated advocate for the inclusion of calligraphy in primary and secondary education nationwide, making enduring contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Chinese culture.

For details of the exhibited works, please visit: https://library.hkust.edu.hk/news-events/event/su-2026。