The 17th United Nations Chinese Language Day was held with great fanfare at the UN Headquarters in New York on April 13 — even more so because the event carried special historical significance.

It coincided with two major anniversaries: The 55th year of China's return to its lawful seat in the UN and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Chinese Translation Service of the Department for General Assembly.

Under the theme of Chinese Language, Shining Civilizations, the celebration was organized by the Permanent Mission of China to the UN and China Media Group, co-organized by the China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) and supported by leading Chinese AI tech group iFLYTEK.

More than 200 guests attended, including UN Secretariat officials, diplomats from various countries and representatives from American universities and academic institutions.

The audience watched a special documentary about the Chinese Language, which traced China's active role in the UN's development over the years. UN staff members shared insights on how Chinese is used and promoted within the organization.

Highlights also included a global short video contest showcasing creative "Chinese moments" as well as a passionate performance of I Love You, China by American singer Aaron Scarberry and a string quartet rendition of Spring from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons performed by Chinese musicians based in the US.

AI technology played a central role throughout the event. Using it, real-time translations were conducted in all six official UN languages, while AI-powered calligraphy displays and artifact-recognition robots made their debut at the UN Headquarters — a vivid example of the fusion between technology and culture.

The interactive experiences not only made Chinese learning much more engaging and intelligent for the audience, but also conveyed a core message to the world that China's technological development is rooted in a human-centered philosophy — showcasing its cutting-edge capabilities in artificial intelligence.

All in all, the 2026 UN Chinese Language Day was acclaimed to have successfully built a high-level platform for cross-cultural dialogue between China and the world.

It not only revisited the 80-year journey of the Chinese language alongside the UN, but also introduced a new paradigm for cultural communications driven by technology.

In doing so, it was said to have revealed the contemporary vitality of Chinese culture and China's AI strengths — making a positive contribution to deepening international cultural exchanges and advancing the vision of a shared future for humanity.