A Chinese character writing competition took place on Jan 16 in the Kunming Hi-Tech No 1 Primary School. More than 5,000 students took part.

The judges gave participants dictations of varying degrees of difficulty on words and ancient poetry and scored them according to accuracy and elegancy. During the competition, judges also corrected students’ sitting postures and the way they held their pens as they were writing.

The competition was aimed at encouraging students to practice and improve their handwriting to inherit the Chinese tradition of calligraphy. It is important since people today write less often with the popularization of mobile phones and computers, according to the organizers.

Students in Kunming Hi-Tech No 1 Primary School undergo word dictation to compete in Chinese character writing skills on Jan 16. [Photo/kmhnz.gov.cn]

By Shi Zihan and edited by Brian Salter