Participants of the Chinese culture-themed workshop show their Chinese calligraphy works.

A calligraphy workshop was recently held in Library Ixelles in Belgium, with support from the local Confucius Institute.

This event marked the first time that the library held a Chinese culture-themed workshop.

In the four-day workshop, participants experienced the charms of Chinese calligraphy and painting with access to the basics of Chinese characters and traditional Chinese paintings.

More Belgians are developing a greater interest in Chinese culture with China’s growing global position, said a person in charge of the library. She added that the library wished to build a platform for the public to learn about China through its culture.

One attendee, who is currently studying sinology in the Marie Haps Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, or the Institut Libre Marie-Haps, said she is obsessed with Chinese calligraphy. She postponed her summer travel plans to attend the workshop.

She told People’s Daily that one could learn more about the spiritual connotations of Chinese culture via learning and appreciating Chinese calligraphy and paintings.

The Chinese cultural craze is spreading from major cities to medium and small cities in Belgium, said LuXiaohong, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University Liberty of Brussels. Local schools and communities are seeking cooperation with the Confucius Institution in co-organizing Chinese cultural activities.