What happens when a 1,600-year-old iconic Chinese cultural tradition travels across the ocean to Copenhagen and meets curious young Danish minds? 
On March 25th, the China Cultural Center in Copenhagen is thrilled to welcome 1st-year students from Borupgaard Gymnasium for the special youth edition Orchid Pavilion Gathering calligraphy and Chinese culture immersion experience. In this warm, hands-on session, ancient Chinese ink art and Danish teenagers wrote a wonderful new chapter of cultural exchange together.

The event opened with a short film about the legendary original Orchid Pavilion Gathering: 1,600 years ago, great Chinese literati gathered by a spring lake, composing poems and creating calligraphy side by side, leaving behind the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion — known as the greatest running script calligraphy in Chinese history, a timeless cultural treasure. 
After the film, the students picked up brushes for the very first time, full of curiosity. They learned the foundational horizontal and vertical strokes of Chinese calligraphy, and even tried writing their own custom Chinese names. With every stroke of the brush on rice paper, these once-unfamiliar foreign characters turned into personal, meaningful cultural memories for each student.

We also guided them through simple, heartfelt Chinese characters full of good wishes:

• 人 (rén): person, people, human
• 福 (fú): blessing and good fortune, the most beloved lucky character in China
• 乐 (lè): joy, warmth, and that perfect Danish hygge feeling
• 马 (mǎ): horse, for the 2026 Year of the Horse.

Every student got to create their own creative calligraphy piece, with full freedom to put their unique spin on the characters. 
For the final calligraphy challenge, students teamed up in small groups to complete a 3-character phrase. This collaborative creation echoed the spirit of the ancient Orchid Pavilion Gathering — bonding through ink and words — while also letting the students experience the beauty of balance and rhythm at the heart of Chinese calligraphy.

The fun didn’t stop at ink and paper! We also prepared a special panda-themed porcelain painting session. The students let their imaginations run wild, integrating the Chinese characters they just learned into their hand-painted designs, making one-of-a-kind souvenirs to take home forever.

After 90 minutes of laughter, creation, and cultural discovery, the event drew to a joyful close. The students proudly held up their calligraphy works and painted porcelain pieces, putting a perfect end to this modern-day Orchid Pavilion Gathering.

“I never thought writing could be this fun — Chinese calligraphy is SO cool!” one student shared excitedly, holding up his finished artwork.

The students also got to explore our Year of the Horse-themed photo exhibition after the session. 
The Orchid Pavilion Gathering series is a global cultural initiative launched by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, using Chinese calligraphy as a window to share the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture with the world. This youth-focused event was more than just an art workshop — it was about planting a seed of curiosity and appreciation for Chinese culture in the hearts of these young Danish creators.