Shaanxi Normal University Marks 20 Years of Handwritten Admission Letters

Shaanxi Normal University held its annual brush-writing ceremony on July 21, marking 20 consecutive years of issuing handwritten calligraphic admission letters to incoming students. Ten senior scholars with an average age over 72 are participating in this year's process, including an 84-year-old faculty member and four long-term contributors who have written notices for more than a decade. The tradition highlights the university's effort to integrate traditional Chinese craftsmanship and cultural education into its student welcoming rituals.

Shaanxi Normal University's two-decade commitment to handwritten admission notices illustrates how Chinese higher education institutions are leveraging traditional cultural rituals to establish institutional identity and engage incoming students in an increasingly digitized academic environment.

On July 21, Shaanxi Normal University held its annual brush-writing ceremony to begin producing handwritten admission letters for its incoming class of 2026. The ceremony marks the 20th consecutive year that the university, located in Xi'an, has maintained the practice of delivering hand-inked admission notices written with traditional Chinese calligraphy brushes. Ten senior scholars and retired educators are participating in this year's writing process, with an average age exceeding 72 years, state media reported. The oldest calligrapher in the group is 84 years old. The tradition relies heavily on long-term dedication from veteran faculty members: four of this year's calligraphers have taken part in the effort for more than ten years, with the longest-serving contributor participating for 14 consecutive years. In China, university admission letters have increasingly served as key symbols of institutional identity and cultural heritage. While many higher education institutions opt for high-tech features, customized artwork, or modern digital formats, Shaanxi Normal University has prioritized traditional ink-and-brush calligraphy as a hallmark of its institutional culture. University organizers describe the initiative as a practical demonstration of traditional aesthetics, serving as an initial cultural orientation for new students before they begin their academic journey. The commitment to handwritten notifications comes amid a broader national focus on promoting traditional Chinese culture within higher education. By tasking respected senior scholars with writing thousands of individual notices by hand, the institution seeks to underscore values of patience, mentorship, and cultural continuity. Observers note that such initiatives allow universities to distinguish themselves during the competitive post-gaokao recruitment season, turning an administrative milestone into a widely reported cultural event.