A whole new universe created with 320 Chinese characters and time to vote!

Chinese Writing Contest 2022 is closed on Sep 16. A total of 58 entries have been received. Thank you for participating! I hope you all have had great fun!

27 entries are qualified for the next round. Let’s appreciate how they have collectively created a new universe using only 320 Chinese characters.

For a mathematician, the universe is created with numbers.

For a chemist, the universe is created with chemical elements.

For a musician, the universe is created with music notes.

For a painter, the universe is created with colours.

For a Chinese teacher, the universe is created with Chinese characters. 

Chinese language is extensive and profound. Each character has so many potential meanings. To use the right character in the right place is always something to be seriously pondered. This is the task of writers. This is the attitude and professionalism of writers.

In this Chinese Writing Contest, only 320 characters are allowed to use, roughly 10% of 3000 - 3500 Chinese characters commonly used in today’s print. With this limited number of characters available, we are asking writers to show more of this attitude and professionalism, not less.

Therefore, when I’m reading this year’s entries, these poems and stories, I can’t help but marvel at the professionalism these writers have demonstrated, and I truly believe that creativity has no boundaries. 

In these writings, so much love is expressed, even though the character “爱” is not included in the 320 characters. There is love that spans for a thousand years, love between friends, family and the most special ones.

Searching for meanings is also a clear theme, meanings for existence, meanings for the past and the future, and meanings for life. 

Ambitions, desires and surreality are lingering around, while nature always comforts our souls.

While money and livelihoods are something we can not ignore, we still have our choices and own our behaviours. 

Although there is bad leadership, there is always hope for the future. 

These writings are fantastic!

The Chinese Writing Contest 2022 is closed. But learning does not end. Learning 320 Chinese characters is certainly not the end of the Chinese learning journey. There are thousands of more characters waiting to be learned. 

And an advice for all Chinese language learners, only the characters you know how to use are the characters you really learned. 

With that being said, let’s get to the next round of this contest, and find out who the winners are. Prizes are waiting. 

Please follow these steps: 

• Read all the qualified submissions;
• Select the best FOUR that impress you the most, and write down their designated numbers;
• Go to twitter. At the comment section of the pinned tweet, write down the four numbers you’ve selected.

Thank you for voting. 

Voting ends on Oct 16.