Hello, Hanzi × iHUB: Bridging Cultures Through Language and Learning

On July 23, the Editorial Committee of the ASI Global “ZiChuang” Cultural Project, in collaboration with the iHUB program, hosted the Hello, Hanzi × iHUB event across its Beijing and Shanghai camps. Bringing together GEC teaching faculty and students from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds, the event encouraged participants to explore the creative logic of Chinese character formation through hands-on activities, fostering cross-cultural exchange and collaborative learning in an engaging and immersive setting.

Hello, Hanzi × iHUB Event Venue and the Title Page of Hello, Hanzi

Launched in June as a flagship cultural project of ASI Global, the Hello, Hanzi book series combines visual storytelling, AI technology, and cultural context to offer an intuitive, globally accessible entry point into Chinese characters. This iHUB event brought this approach to life on site, engaging teaching faculty and students in interactive tasks that connected character-building principles with broader cultural perspectives.

Professors Exploring the Six Methods of Chinese Character Formation

The Lively Scene of the Chinese Character Match Game

The joint event brought the camp to life with four interactive stations running in parallel, each offering a different way to engage with the logic of Chinese characters. At the Six Methods of Chinese Character Formation Display, which is an exhibition explaining the six traditional methods used to create and classify characters, participants explored the principles behind the writing system through a visually rich presentation. The Chinese Character Match Game sparked quick thinking as teams connected pictographs, written forms, and English meanings. In the Radical Challenge, radicals—the essential components of Chinese characters that often hint at meaning—served as the starting point, and teams worked together to complete characters by adding the remaining parts, blending friendly competition with collaboration. Meanwhile, the Chinese Character Display Wall offered a reflective pause, as participants selected a character that spoke to them and captured the moment in a photo, turning individual choice into a shared memory.

Students Actively Participating in the Radical Challenge

The Chinese Character Display Wall Showcasing Symbols and Stories

Beyond its lively activities, the event underscored GEC’s commitment to creating a vibrant learning environment that bridges cultures, disciplines, and ways of thinking. It also continued our tradition of cultural engagement at iHUB camps, from Chinese New Year calligraphy to Lantern Festival riddles, while adding a new dimension by integrating language learning into an academic setting. By incorporating the interactive approach of the Hello, Hanzi series into our project-based and interdisciplinary framework, we are delighted to have enriched the 2025 iHUB programs with fresh opportunities for cross-cultural connection. Looking ahead, we will continue to weave diverse cultural experiences into both online and onsite programs, fostering an inclusive and globally minded community where innovation thrives through collaboration.

Professors Selecting Characters That Resonate with Them at the Display Wall