After setting up the Chinese calligraphy class at the UN in 2011, Yong Ho, former Chinese Language Supervisor of the UN, instinctively knew the task at hand was a challenging one. Despite acknowledging the lingering charm of this visual art form in traditional China, he knew that using English to illustrate the Chinese aesthetic and cultural ideas underlying this treasured art to foreigners would not be an easy feat.

Deeply rooted in Chinese culture and widely feted, calligraphy is about more than just characters. The art, through the fewest of colors and in the simplest of ways touches upon the very philosophy of the Chinese people.

Teaching UN staff

Ho was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. After graduating from Jiangsu Normal University in 1978, he became a college teacher of English for several years. Specializing in Chinese anthropology and language, Ho began to study for his doctorate in the Department of Anthropology in 1986 at Columbia University. He graduated six years later and then started teaching at the New School University. In 2002, Ho joined the UN and was put in charge of the Chinese language program.

It was an obvious yet fundamental question for those setting up the UN in the aftermath of World War II: Which language, or languages, should the new body's business be conducted in?

The UN eventually decided on Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, adding Arabic in 1973. These six tongues are now the UN's official languages, available via simultaneous interpretation to every delegate at every meeting.

It is a very meaningful task for the UN to maintain the effective balance and equality among official languages in international relations. Thus, from 1946 to this very day, the UN has made many efforts to support and promote the six official languages to make the UN, both its objectives and actions, as widely known to the public as possible.

From its inception, the UN has attached great importance to the language training of its employees, and provided ample opportunities to encourage staff members and diplomatic personnel to master the official languages of the organization. Since the 1970s, the UN headquarters in New York City has offered language courses through its Language and Communications Program, creating the perfect conditions for the cultures represented by these six official languages to spread their wings.

However, learning Chinese is difficult for those students whose mother tongue stems from the Indo-European language family. They need strong motivation and a special attraction to maintain interest and confidence. For this reason, in addition to adopting a livelier teaching method inside the classroom, Ho and his teaching staff strives to create opportunities outside the classroom to allow students to really immerse themselves in Chinese culture.

In addition to these courses, the UN Chinese language program offers a three-week-long summer course at Nanjing University in China. The program, sponsored by the Chinese authorities, has been well received over 16 years. In fact, for his endeavors, Ho earned his second UN21 Award in 2014, an award presented to UN staff members who have exemplified hard work and innovation.

Interesting training courses

When Ho created the first UN calligraphy class, nearly 20 UN staff members enrolled. By the end of the first semester, it came as a surprise to Ho that many who, prior to taking this class, had never had a brush with calligraphy could in fact paint a few pretty decent Chinese characters.

"Chinese calligraphy can be understood by foreigners," Ho told Beijing Review. Former Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, too, took private Chinese calligraphy lessons from one of Ho's teachers and went on to gift his works to foreign leaders. He famously presented a calligraphic work entitled Peace when attending the UN Staff Calligraphy Exhibition in 2012. "The reason why I made this work is because peace is of great significance to the world and I will spare no effort to promote it," Ban then told the exhibition.

Since 2004, Ho has been organizing the China Study Program for students of Chinese at the UN. His dedication has attracted hundreds of UN staffers and delegates to take up Chinese studies and has ignited a wave of enthusiasm for learning Chinese.

In 2013, the students who participated in the program celebrated its 10th anniversary and wrote a 100-meter scroll of the UN Charter in Chinese at the Imperial Ancestral Temple in Beijing.

"These UN officials looked at the UN Charter they were holding and got very excited," Ho explained to Beijing Review. UN staff are very familiar with it, as it exists as the organization's highest guiding ideology. "Everyone felt extremely proud at that sacred moment of writing. Several students said that they must keep practicing calligraphy until they can write down the full text of the UN Charter. That was the most meaningful thing to me."

Currently Ho serves as the co-chair of the Renwen Society at China Institute in New York City, a premiere organization in the U.S. promoting Chinese culture and language. The Renwen Society presents lectures and other Chinese language events to both domestic and international audiences.

"Every nation has its own culture and traditions that its people are proud of," and "language is a tool that is essential for better communication and understanding among cultures," Ho said.

Different perspectives

Chinese is rated as one of the most difficult languages for English speakers by the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which is responsible for training US diplomatic personnel. The FSI's statistics show that to be proficient in French or Spanish, it takes only 600 hours, but the minimum amount of learning hours for Chinese is 2,200," Ho told Beijing Review.

"So how to keep the students interested is of vital importance," Ho said. The Chinese Language Program at the UN offers both regular Chinese courses, ranging from level 1 to level 9, and special Chinese courses with an emphasis on speaking or reading, as well as a calligraphy class, to UN staff for free. Every year features three semesters, with some 200 students signing up each semester.

Behind the increasing interest in Chinese lies the fact that the visibility and influence of China are growing. What happens in the world arena also shapes people's mindsets regarding the Chinese language inside the UN, therefore UN staff is getting more interested in this language, according to Ho.

The China Study Program also help Ho's students gain firsthand knowledge of China, often involving new insights that challenge their preconceptions.

"To large extent, people in the West know much less about China than Chinese people know about the West. So, this was a real eye-opener for many students," Ho said. "In many cases, it dramatically changed their view of China from what they had previously read in the media. I think this personal experience is quite important."

During his 15 years with the program, Ho has witnessed many UN officials and diplomats making progress in Chinese learning.

Referring back to Ban, "The former UN secretary general likes to write a classic Chinese saying, namely Qu Ze Quan," Ho said.

Qu Ze Quan, a three-character Chinese idiom that can be interpreted as "to make concessions for the common good," stems from the ancient Chinese philosophy book Tao Te Ching.

According to Ho, the message these sayings convey is consistent with what the UN advocates: tolerance, inclusiveness, peace and compromise. "What we are doing here is helping those who work at the UN through language learning to understand other cultures in a comprehensive and in-depth way," Ho said. 

(Print Edition Title: Forging a Bridge With a Brush)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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