Sofya Simatova, first prize winner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Chinese Calligraphy Contest, said calligraphy helps her teach the Chinese language to her students in Moscow during a video clip shot for the awards ceremony held in Beijing, on May 19.

"Chinese calligraphy helps to arouse my students' interest in the Chinese language and culture," said Simatova, who began studying Chinese calligraphy at the Beijing Language and Culture University as a personal character-building exercise. She is now a Chinese language teacher at a university in the Russian capital as she pursues her PhD.

Jointly hosted by China International Publishing Group (CIPG) subsidiaries China Pictorial and China.org.cn, as well as New Era Health Industry Group, the contest was aimed at creating a friendly and cultural atmosphere for the SCO summit to be held in Qingdao, China's eastern Shandong Province, on June 9-10.

People from SCO member countries and other countries in Europe and Asia actively participated in the contest, submitting over 2,000 works. Approximately 40 contestants were prize winners.

"This year's SCO Chinese Calligraphy Contest is a concrete step taken by CIPG to strengthen cooperation and understanding between people of different countries," said Wang Gangyi, Vice President of the Chinese media conglomerate committed to international communication, during the awards.

"The contest highlighted the role of Chinese calligraphy in boosting cultural exchanges…It also provided a platform for Chinese calligraphy lovers from different countries to show their talent," Wang added.

Aizada Subakozhoyeva, Deputy Secretary-General of the SCO, said, "The contest has afforded an opportunity for young people from SCO member countries and other countries in Asia and Europe to gather together to build the 'Shanghai Spirit'."

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo