Characters and culture

Nan Mee, Thailand’s largest distributor and publisher of Chinese-language books and literature, is hosting the “Chinese Book and Cultural Exhibition 2013” at its Sathorn outlet until May 26.
The exhibition kicked off last Tuesday, with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who is counted by the Chinese as one of China’s greatest friends, graciously presiding over the opening ceremony at the Nan Mee Building on North Sathorn Road.
The showcase is a celebration of the vibrant Chinese culture, one of the world’s oldest, and includes a series of workshops, photography and calligraphy art exhibitions as well as new collections of Chinese-language books.
More than 100,000 books from Chinese, Taiwanese and Hong Kong publishing houses are available for fans of Chinese culture in various categories, among them language, literature, health and feng shui.
In the Nan Mee Art Gallery on the third floor, one wall is adorned with calligraphy, while another offers the postcard-perfect landscape of China through photographs.
The calligraphy, which is counted as an art form in China, is written, not drawn, by the former Chinese ambassador to Thailand Zhang Jiuhua. Zhang, who speaks Thai fluently, has demonstrated a great affection for Thailand and played an important role in building relationship between the two countries. His 80 finest pieces of calligraphy – including auspicious words, quotations, poems, and morals - are conveyed through beautifully delicate Chinese characters.
The photo exhibition, on the another side of the gallery, creates a strong sense of exoticism through stunning landscape photos of China’s hinterlands. The guest-greeting pine on Mount Huang, an overlook of Qomolangma Mountain, early spring iat Yiheyuan Summer Palace and the Fujian earth dwelling in Fujian province are among the many images on show.
Culture buffs can sign up for series of cultural workshops scheduled through May. This Saturday, for example, a Chinese feng shui master will conduct a class and reveal the ancient wisdom of living well, Chinese style.
The cultural workshops continue with “Chinese Learning for Foreigners” (May 11), “Chinese Traditional Medicine” (May 18) and “Chinese Literature” (May 25).