FORUM: Language Days at the United Nations seek to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization. The date for the Chinese day was selected from Guyu ("Rain of Millet"), which is the 6th of 24 solar terms in the traditional East Asian calendars, to pay tribute to Cangjie. Cangjie is a very important figure in ancient China, claimed to be an official historian of the Yellow Emperor and the inventor of Chinese characters. Legend has it that he had four eyes and four pupils, and that when he invented the characters, the deities and ghosts cried and the sky rained millet. From then on, Chinese people celebrate the day Guyu in honour of Cangjie. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around April 20. Chinese was established as an official language of the United Nations in 1946. However, in early years, Chinese was not commonly used in the work of the United Nations. The situation was improved after restoration of the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations in 1971. In 1973, the General Assembly included Chinese as a working language, which was followed by the Security Council in 1974. More and more UN offices and staff members work with Chinese language. Follow the conversations with the hashtags:#learnChinese, #chineselanguageday, #20April, #Chineselanguage.
EVENTS: On April 20th 2026, from 18:00pm to 20:30pm, New York time at the Curved Wall in the United Nations Headquaters, the 2026 observance of the United Nations Chinese Language Day and the celebration of the 80th Anniversary of Chinese Translation Service will be held.
A series of cultural events have been held in multiple locations worldwide to mark the 2026 United Nations Chinese Language Day.
On Monday, a special celebration commemorating both the Chinese Language Day and the 80th anniversary of the Chinese Language Service will be held at the United Nations Headquarters.
The celebration, jointly organized by the Chinese Book Club at the UN, the Chinese Translation Service, and the Chinese Language Teaching Unit, will be held in the Delegates Entrance Hall. Activities will include guided exhibition tours, cultural performances, and interactive experiences showcasing elements of China's intangible cultural heritage.
The celebration aims to promote the richness of the Chinese language and culture, while highlighting the contributions of Chinese language professionals within the UN system.
The UN has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. To highlight linguistic and cultural diversity and promote the equal use of these languages, the UN Department of Global Communications launched UN Language Days in 2010. It designated April 20 — coinciding with Grain Rain in the traditional Chinese calendar — as Chinese Language Day, in honor of Cangjie, the "ancestor of Chinese characters."
In addition, special lectures and cultural experience activities will be held at the UN on April 21 to further promote exchanges and mutual learning between the Chinese language and the world's diverse cultures, the UN's official website announced.
In recent days, various locations around the world have held vibrant celebrations to mark this year's UN Chinese Language Day. According to the Xinhua News Agency, in Warsaw, Poland, nearly 200 Chinese and Polish students gathered at SWPS University for performances and exchanges under the theme of cultural exchange between China and the West. In Sofia, Bulgaria, the Confucius Institute organized a Chinese singing contest and inaugurated a peony culture center on Saturday local time.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Lusaka, Zambia, universities and Confucius Institutes also presented songs, dances, and cultural performances to highlight the growing global appeal of the Chinese language. Similar events in Nairobi, Kenya, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, emphasized dialogue among civilizations and the role of Chinese in sparking colorful dreams.
Earlier, a celebration titled Chinese Language Shining Civilizations was held at the UN headquarters in New York to mark the UN Chinese Language Day. At the end of its report, the UN noted that in today's world, where globalization and digitalization are deeply intertwined, Chinese is continuously gaining new vitality.
At the intersection of technological empowerment and cultural heritage, the Chinese language not only connects the past with the future, but also facilitates communication among civilizations and contributes to a new chapter of multilateralism, the report said.
Wang Deyan, director of the Chinese Language Department at the School of Liberal Arts and Law of North China University of Technology, expressed support. He told the Global Times on Sunday that the widespread global celebrations of UN Chinese Language Day highlight the status of Chinese as an official global language and reflect the growing influence of the Chinese language and culture.
Wang further noted that the Chinese Language Day is not only a celebration of language and culture, but also an important example of China promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, participating in global cultural governance, and contributing to a more just and inclusive international order. Amid profound global changes unseen in a century, cultural connection through language is more enduring than confrontation and division.
"At a time when global trust and understanding deficits are intensifying, language and culture serve as the most accessible and non-confrontational means of communication. Chinese cultural elements such as calligraphy, intangible cultural heritage, and creative products going global are not merely displays, but a subtle way of conveying Chinese values and wisdom, presenting a multidimensional and authentic image of China, easing misunderstandings, and bringing a sense of inclusiveness to a tense international climate," Wang said.
From another perspective, the global discourse system has long been imbalanced. Through language promotion, the Chinese Language Day also shares traditional concepts such as harmony, coexistence, and the pursuit of common good, offering an alternative perspective in global cultural discourse and helping foster a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive cultural landscape in line with the vision of a shared future for humanity, said the expert.
The celebration, jointly organized by the Chinese Book Club at the UN, the Chinese Translation Service, and the Chinese Language Teaching Unit, will be held in the Delegates Entrance Hall. Activities will include guided exhibition tours, cultural performances, and interactive experiences showcasing elements of China's intangible cultural heritage.
The celebration aims to promote the richness of the Chinese language and culture, while highlighting the contributions of Chinese language professionals within the UN system.
The UN has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. To highlight linguistic and cultural diversity and promote the equal use of these languages, the UN Department of Global Communications launched UN Language Days in 2010. It designated April 20 — coinciding with Grain Rain in the traditional Chinese calendar — as Chinese Language Day, in honor of Cangjie, the "ancestor of Chinese characters."
In addition, special lectures and cultural experience activities will be held at the UN on April 21 to further promote exchanges and mutual learning between the Chinese language and the world's diverse cultures, the UN's official website announced.
In recent days, various locations around the world have held vibrant celebrations to mark this year's UN Chinese Language Day. According to the Xinhua News Agency, in Warsaw, Poland, nearly 200 Chinese and Polish students gathered at SWPS University for performances and exchanges under the theme of cultural exchange between China and the West. In Sofia, Bulgaria, the Confucius Institute organized a Chinese singing contest and inaugurated a peony culture center on Saturday local time.
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Lusaka, Zambia, universities and Confucius Institutes also presented songs, dances, and cultural performances to highlight the growing global appeal of the Chinese language. Similar events in Nairobi, Kenya, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, emphasized dialogue among civilizations and the role of Chinese in sparking colorful dreams.
Earlier, a celebration titled Chinese Language Shining Civilizations was held at the UN headquarters in New York to mark the UN Chinese Language Day. At the end of its report, the UN noted that in today's world, where globalization and digitalization are deeply intertwined, Chinese is continuously gaining new vitality.
At the intersection of technological empowerment and cultural heritage, the Chinese language not only connects the past with the future, but also facilitates communication among civilizations and contributes to a new chapter of multilateralism, the report said.
Wang Deyan, director of the Chinese Language Department at the School of Liberal Arts and Law of North China University of Technology, expressed support. He told the Global Times on Sunday that the widespread global celebrations of UN Chinese Language Day highlight the status of Chinese as an official global language and reflect the growing influence of the Chinese language and culture.
Wang further noted that the Chinese Language Day is not only a celebration of language and culture, but also an important example of China promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, participating in global cultural governance, and contributing to a more just and inclusive international order. Amid profound global changes unseen in a century, cultural connection through language is more enduring than confrontation and division.
"At a time when global trust and understanding deficits are intensifying, language and culture serve as the most accessible and non-confrontational means of communication. Chinese cultural elements such as calligraphy, intangible cultural heritage, and creative products going global are not merely displays, but a subtle way of conveying Chinese values and wisdom, presenting a multidimensional and authentic image of China, easing misunderstandings, and bringing a sense of inclusiveness to a tense international climate," Wang said.
From another perspective, the global discourse system has long been imbalanced. Through language promotion, the Chinese Language Day also shares traditional concepts such as harmony, coexistence, and the pursuit of common good, offering an alternative perspective in global cultural discourse and helping foster a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive cultural landscape in line with the vision of a shared future for humanity, said the expert.
On April 20th 2026, from 8:30am to 11:30am, New York time. Join the virtual forum entitled ''Fluent Futures Forum: Chinese Learning and Youth Engagement for a Multilingual UN 2.0 World'' to explore the role of youth in advancing Multilingualism utilizing UN 2.0 Quintet of Skills through the lens of Chinese language learning within and beyond the United Nations.
This year’s theme is “Fluent Futures Forum: Chinese Learning and Youth Engagement for a Multilingual UN 2.0 World”, which highlights the role of multilingualism in strengthening global cooperation and empowering the next generation. The Fluent Futures Forum will bring together speakers from across the United Nations system, academia, and global media. They will discuss how learning Chinese supports youth engagement, leadership development, and intercultural communication. The programme includes a keynote address by the UN Youth Office, alongside talks on Chinese as a “bridge language” for UN 2.0, youth career pathways, AI and language learning, and SDG-driven curriculum design. Speakers include a prominent French media personality working in Chinese-language broadcasting, a senior UNFPA staff member engaged in Chinese-language study, and a Malagasy scholar currently pursuing her PhD in China. Join us in celebrating UN Chinese Language Day and reaffirming the United Nations commitment to linguistic diversity and an inclusive global dialogue. The Fluent Futures Forum is organized by the Language and Communications Training Unit (LCTU) in the Capacity Development and Operational Training Services (CDOTS) within the Office of Support Operations (OSO) of the Department of Operational Support (DOS).
Non‑UN participants can register to participate.
UN‑internal participants can join the event directly
Find the full programme on UN.org.
To attend the Fluent Futures Forum on 20 April, join the event via Microsoft Teams.
Join the virtual forum via Microsoft Teams.
On April 14th, 2026 at the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON) in Kenya, the celebration of the U.N. Chinese Language Day 2026 was held. Related Sites and Documents: website & Programme
To attend the Fluent Futures Forum on 20 April, join the event via Microsoft Teams.
Join the virtual forum via Microsoft Teams.
On April 17th, 2026 at the ''Palace of Nations'' in Geneva, Switzerland; The 6th China Media Group (CMG) Chinese Language Video Festival held to mark the 2026 United Nations Chinese Language Day.
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