Attendees at a UNESCO event in Paris were given an insight into traditional and modern Chinese culture to mark Chinese Language Day.

Shen Haixiong, president of China Media Group (CMG), which produced a show based around videos recorded by non-native speakers, addressed the gathering, as did Tian Xuejun, China's deputy minister of education as well as director of the National Language Working Committee and chair of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO.

"This is a special opportunity to remind us all to recognize the importance of multiculturalism and the importance of language as a tool for peace and understanding," Tamara Rastovac Siamashvili chair of UNESCO's executive board, told CMG.

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More than 70 officials participated in the celebration. China Language Day is held every April 20th, the day on which Cang Jie, reputed to have invented Chinese characters is honored.

A choir of children also showed their language skills to the watching delegates by singing "Let's swing the oar".

Video show

CMG, the parent company of CGTN, ran a competition to attract people from around the world to engage with China Language Day by producing a short video along the theme of China Chic. The goal was to celebrate the intersection of traditional and modern culture that has created the identity of China today.

It's "a modern way to express the long history of Chinese language, Chinese culture and the history of Chinese civilization," said Qu Xing, deputy director-general of UNESCO.