On Jan 16, renowned Chinese character etymologist Richard Sears visited the School of International Education at the East China University of Science and Technology, or ECUST – located in East China's Shanghai – and delivered a fascinating lecture telling his story with hanzi, or Chinese characters.

Sears, a US scholar, is the founder of the Chinese Etymology website and known as "Uncle Hanzi" for his devotion and contribution to the study of Chinese characters.

The lecture was attended by nearly 100 students and members of the faculty from ECUST, New York University Shanghai, Tongji University, Shanghai University and Shanghai International Studies University.

It also attracted over 700 Chinese character enthusiasts from countries such as the US, UK and Canada who participated online. During the lecture, Sears effortlessly switched between Chinese and English, making connections between ancient Chinese thoughts and the origins and evolution of hanzi.

Attendees take a picture with Richard Sears. [Photo/WeChat account: ies_students]

Many international students shared their feelings after the lecture. A Malaysian student with the Chinese name Zheng Zhixiang gained insight into the development of Chinese characters and said: "I am deeply impressed by the Chinese wisdom within Chinese characters."

An Egyptian student with the Chinese name Mei Rou, from Shanghai International Studies University stated: "Both Egypt and China are ancient civilizations that used ideographic writing. However, unlike ancient Egyptian characters, Chinese pictographs have continued uninterrupted until now."

Source: ies_students