Twenty days prior to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the stone inscriptions on the theme of “Peace” by famous international figures were completed in Chongli, where the Zhangjiakou competition zone is located. Among them includes the inscription “和平 (Peace)” by Ban Ki-moon, the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations and the IOC Ethics Commission, and the inscription “和平之游 (Tour of Peace)” by Zhou Bin, Professor of the USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry and head of the “Overseas Promotion of Chinese Culture” project. The Chinese-style inscriptions demonstrate the common affection shared by people worldwide, showing the high compatibility between the Olympic spirit and traditional Chinese culture.

The inscriptions form a spectacle in Chongli. Prof. Zhou Bin’s inscription, together with the other works, manifests that the Beijing Winter Olympic Games is not only a sports event, but also a cultural fiesta, which adds unique humanistic qualities to the competition area.

“The spring of New Year of Tiger is a special season that sends the breeze of peace to all around the world. On the joyous day for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, as a teacher of SJTU, I am proud of being able to deliver the common affection shared by people worldwide through Chinese calligraphy. I was more than honored to write an inscription for the main venue and witness this great historic event together with Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the IOC Ethics Commission. Also, I was honored to be invited to the ‘Harmony for the Winter Olympics’ painting and calligraphy exhibition at the National Art Museum of China, and donated the proceeds from the auction to the ‘China Winter Sports Youth Popularization Public Welfare’ project to further contribute to the Winter Olympics”, said Prof. Zhou Bin.