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Calligraphers show their works during the opening ceremony of the 41st Lanting Calligraphy Festival in Shaoxing on April 1. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Shaoxing University's Lanting Academy of Calligraphy has grown into a vital platform for international cultural exchange, offering global learners an immersive access to Chinese calligraphy.

The academy is named after the Lanting Xu (Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion), written by Wang Xizhi in 353. The piece is regarded as a masterpiece of Chinese calligraphy, created in Shaoxing's Lanting area — now a symbolic home for the art form.

Since launching its first overseas branch in 2015 at the University of Auckland, the academy has expanded to 15 sites in 12 countries. More than 20,000 learners have participated in its programs, and 24 teachers and 276 students from Shaoxing University have conducted teaching missions abroad.

On April 22, the Shaoxing Museum hosted the 10th anniversary exhibition of the academy's Swiss branch. Calligraphy works by students and teachers were displayed on white silk curtains, with Swiss visitors closely observing the different styles and brush techniques.

The academy has integrated calligraphy with language instruction, cultural history, and art education, helping foreign students understand Chinese aesthetics and philosophy through hands-on practice.

Looking ahead, the academy plans to expand to countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative by 2030 and build standardized hybrid learning systems that combine in-person and online instruction.