On Friday, February 13, 2025, The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures collaborated with the Humanities Institute to celebrate the Lunar New Year by creating Spring Festival Couplets (chunlian) with brushes, ink and red papers! This calligraphy is a cultural tradition that started more than a thousand years ago and is still thriving today in the Chinese speaking world and diasporic communities.

Prof. Xiaobin Jian provided historical and cultural context and guided a group of students in creating their own chunlian. He provided a presentation on the history of the art form and displayed several different styles of calligraphy. Professor Jian highlighted the significance of the red couplets posted on doorways and their meaning to bring good luck in the new year as he led students through the tutorial.

Many students attended the event and took home their own spring calligraphy projects!