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Racial Harmony Day is an annual event held on 21 July to commemorate the and teach students the importance of maintaining racial and religious harmony in Singapore's multicultural and multi-ethnic society. It was launched in 1997 as part of the National Education programme conducted by the In 1996, tests conducted by MOE on students and street polls showed that many Singaporeans, particularly those from the post-independence generation, knew little about their country's history. These findings led then Prime Minister to call for a citizenship education programme, known as National Education, to become a part of the school curriculum.Schools organise a range of cross-cultural activities for students during Racial Harmony Day, which may extend to become a weeklong event. Some of these activities include dressing up in ethnic costumes, sampling ethnic food and playing traditional games. Students also revisit the 1964 communal riots in different ways such as skits, talks and oral history accounts.In 1997, the Central Singapore Joint Social Service Centre (CS JSSC) was set up by the Central Singapore CDC with the assistance of five ethnic self-help groups: Chinese Development Assistance Council, Yayasan MENDAKI, , Eurasian Association and . Then-Prime Minister Goh had envisioned the establishment of a joint body like the CS JSSC to allow self-help groups and community organisations to work together in promoting racial harmony and community bonding.To promote racial harmony at the district level, a few CDCs began participating in Racial Harmony Day in 1998.In 2001, the PA started working with the CS JSSC to coordinate activities for the celebrations.In 2007, CS JSSC was repositioned as OnePeople.sg to work together with the CDCs, community self-help groups and the PA in promoting racial harmony initiatives.The and its various museums took part in the Racial Harmony Day celebrations in 2001. Activities organised by the National Heritage Board included an exhibition at the Besides food tasting, games, homestays and the practice of donning ethnic costumes, a few key activities have been introduced to the Racial Harmony Day celebrations over the years. The practice of wearing orange ribbons - the colour symbolising racial harmony and intolerance towards racism - first began in 2001, when the Singapore History Museum (now known as the In October 2002, then Prime Minister Goh unveiled a draft code to serve as a guide for Singaporeans to practise their respective religions and strengthen interreligious confidence. The code was drafted in response to the challenge posed by terrorist group to religious harmony in Singapore.A multireligious team, headed by then Minister of State (Ministry of Community Development and Sports, and Prime Minister's Office) Chan Soo Sen, was subsequently formed to work on finalising the code. The team consulted various community and religious leaders, national religious bodies, the national steering committee for the Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (now known as the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle) as well as the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony.The finalised code, known as the Declaration on Religious HarmonyText of Declaration on Religious Harmony During the Racial Harmony Day celebrations in 2012, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned about new fault lines emerging in Singapore society that went beyond race and religion, such as the rising tensions between new and old citizens due to differing norms and habits. He thus encouraged more interaction between the two groups to promote better understanding and integration of new citizens.," National Heritage Board, last updated on 14 September 2021.," OnePeople.sg, last accessed 2012., ed. Steven Tan Kwang San and Goh Chor Boon (Singapore: Prentice Hall, 2003), 3. (Call no. RSING 372.95957 SEC)," speech, Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) TV Theatre, 17 May 1967, transcript, Ministry of Information and the Arts. (From National Archives of Singapore, document no. 1997051607) (Singapore: Editions Didier Millet in association with the National Heritage Board, 2006), 437-438. (Call no. RSING 959.57003 SIN-[HIS])24. (From NewspaperSG)," speech, Aquarius Park, 18 July 1998, transcript, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. (From National Archives of Singapore, document no. 1998071804), 24 November 1999, 47. (From NewspaperSG), 19 July 2000, 51. (From NewspaperSG), 21 July 2002, 38. (From NewspaperSG), 17 July 2003, 28. (From NewspaperSG), 23 July 2001, 10. (From NewspaperSG)," People's Association, last updated 25 August 2021., 15 October 2002, 1. (From NewspaperSG), 2 November 2002, 6. (From NewspaperSG), 10 June 2003, 1. (From NewspaperSG), 20 July 2003, 32. (From NewspaperSG) 11 July 2012, 3. (From NewspaperSG) Ministry of Education (MOE) for schools. ¹ Racial Harmony Day celebrations are also carried out by grassroots organisations such as the (PA), community development councils (CDCs) and OnePeople.sg to strengthen race relations among Singaporeans. ² Since the first Racial Harmony Day, the event has undergone a series of expansions to widen its reach. Background
³ National Education was officially launched by then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 17 May 1997, with the aim to "develop national cohesion, the instinct for survival and confidence in [Singapore's] future". ⁴ During the launch, Racial Harmony Day was designated as one of several key events to be celebrated in schools as part of the programme. The day commemorates the communal riots that broke out on 21 July 1964 between Malays and Chinese during a Muslim procession celebrating the . The historical event serves to remind Singaporeans of the need to maintain racial understanding and tolerance among the different communities in Singapore. ⁵ Racial Harmony Day in schools
⁶

Grassroots involvement
Central Singapore Joint Social Service Centre
⁷ In 2001, the CS JSSC began coordinating activities for Racial Harmony Day with the PA. ⁸

⁹ The following year, the North East CDC and Buddha's Light Association (Singapore) set up a S$100,000 fund to support heritage tours and forums, as well as school activities related to Racial Harmony Day. A total of 48 primary and secondary schools were slated to benefit from this fund. ¹⁰ In 2000, with the help of the PA, all nine CDCs at the time joined in the Racial Harmony Day celebrations. During the month of July, they organised activities that foster community bonding and social cohesion. ¹¹

¹² Since then, the PA has been a key organisation in the annual festivities. In 2002, for example, the PA, together with schools and other community groups, organised over 120 events to mark the occasion. ¹³
Community development councils

¹⁴
People's Association

OnePeople.sg National Archives titled "Living History: Tracing Our Customs and Traditions" and another exhibition at the Singapore Philatelic Museum, which explored Singapore's ethnic cultures through stamps and postcards In 2003, the also participated in Racial Harmony Day by presenting a concert that included ethnic dance and musical performances. ¹⁶

Other organisations National Museum of Singapore) introduced it in a school. ¹⁷ Since 2008, OnePeople.sg has organised the Orange Ribbon Celebrations, a signature month-long event held every July, to commemorate racial harmony on a national level. ¹⁸

¹⁹
Orange Ribbon Celebrations
²⁰

Declaration on Religious Harmony , was unveiled to the public in June 2003. Representatives of the national religious bodies propagated the declaration to their respective congregations and worked together to resolve any queries from the public regarding it. ²¹ The declaration was first recited by students, grassroots organisations and religious groups during the Racial Harmony Day celebrations in 2003. ²² ²³ WE, the people in Singapore, declare that religious harmony is vital for peace, progress and prosperity in our multi-racial and multi-religious Nation. We resolve to strengthen religious harmony through mutual tolerance, confidence, respect and understanding. We shall always
Recognise the secular nature of our State,
Promote cohesion within our society,
Respect each other's freedom of religion,
Grow our common space while respecting our diversity,
Foster interreligious communications,
and thereby ensure that religion will not be abused to create conflict and disharmony in Singapore.

²⁴ Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat delivered a similar message during the 2014 celebrations when he called on Singaporeans to embrace greater diversity by going beyond the main races to respect everyone who resides in Singapore, regardless of their race, language or religion. ²⁵

Authors

Beyond race and religion

References

Loh Pei Ying & Jamie Han

1. " Racial Harmony Day2. "
About3. Tan A. and Wan R., "Introduction to National Education in Singapore," in
Securing Our Future: Sourcebook for Infusing National Education into the Primary School Curriculum4. Lee Hsien Loong, " Launch of National Education5. "Racial Harmony Day"; Tommy Thong Bee Koh, et al. eds., 6. 'Hi, your Flowers Match my Baju...'," Straits Times, 22 July 1997, 1; Allson de Souza and Tracy Quek, " Schools Mark Occasion with Cross-Cultural Events," Straits Times, 22 July 1997, 38; Allson de Souza, " Catholic High Students Broadcast History Programmes," Straits Times, 21 July 1997, 27; Audra Lim, " Ethnic Groups Gear Up for Racial Harmony Week," Today, 8. " Feast of Activities to Celebrate Racial Harmony Day," Today, 18 July 2001, 5; Lim, " Ethnic Groups Gear Up for Racial Harmony Week
9. Lim, " Ethnic Groups Gear Up for Racial Harmony Week"; Teo Chee Hean, " The Racial Harmony Day organised by Pasir Ris Zone '11' RC, Northeast CDC and Loyang Secondary School10. " Fund for Racial Harmony Set Up," Straits Times11. Jack Hee, " CDCs Celebrate Racial Harmony Day," Straits Times, 51; " Islandwide Fun for Racial Harmony Day
," Straits Times12. " Feast of Activities to Celebrate Racial Harmony Day"; Lim, " Ethnic Groups Gear Up for Racial Harmony Week
13. " Harmony Every Day," Straits Times15. " Feast of Activities to Celebrate Racial Harmony Day"; Lim, " Ethnic Groups Gear Up for Racial Harmony Week16. " Cultural Infusion," Straits Times
17. " Orange Ribbon for Racial Harmony Day," Straits Times18. Jessica Jaganathan, " 1st Orange Ribbon Event for Newcomers to Mix," Straits Times, 7 July 2008, 24. (from NewspaperSG); " National Orange Ribbon Celebrations
19. " PM Condemns 'Dastardly Acts' at S'pore's Doorstep," Straits Times20. " Multi-Religious Team to Draft Harmony Code," Straits Times21. Neo Hui Min, " More than Words, a S'pore Way of Life,"
Straits Times22. Neo Hui Min, " A Religious Harmony Pledge for Everyone," Straits Times, 19 July 2003, 15; Neo Hui Min, "
Reliving the Kampong Days - and its Spirit," Straits Times23. Neo, " More than Words 24. Toh Yong Chuan, " PM Warns of New Fault Lines in S'pore," Straits Times,
25. Pearl Lee, " Reach Out Beyond Main Races Here," Straits Times Further resources
April Cheong and Yen Feng, "
Call to Build Trust Among Races," Straits Times, 20 July 2009, 20. (From NewspaperSG)

Eugene K B Tan, " Gurmeet Singh, " " Inter-Religious Harmony Circle, Celebrate, Don't Fear, Diversity," Today, 21 July 2010, 16. (From NewspaperSG)
A Taste of Our History," Today, 14 July 2003, 23. (From NewspaperSG)
How has Religious Harmony Fared Since 1989?," Straits Times, 24 July 2009, 19. (From NewspaperSG)
Declaration on Religious Harmony, postcard. (Singapore: Author, 2007). (Call no. RCLOS O1061)

Lai Kew Chai, " One United People," Straits Times, 22 July 2008, 110. (From NewspaperSG)

Ong Dai Lin, " Tay Kay Chin, " Zainudin Nordin, " Bus Tour Takes you Places, Promotes Racial Harmony," Today, 11 July 2011, 6. (From NewspaperSG)
Schools Mark Racial Harmony Day," Straits Times, 22 July 1988, 22. (From NewspaperSG)
Whither Race Relations in S'pore?," Straits Times, 23 July 2011, 32. (From NewspaperSG)

The information in this article is valid as at 29 September 2014 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
National security
Politics and Government
Community and Social Services
Race awareness--Singapore
Events>>National Campaigns
People and communities>>Social groups and communities
Politics and Government>>Education
Education
National campaigns
Ethnic attitudes--Singapore
Events
Politics and Government>>National Security

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Racial Harmony Day is an annual event held on 21 July to commemorate the communal riots of 1964 and teach students the importance of maintaining racial and religious harmony in Singapore's multicultural and multi-ethnic society. It was launched in 1997 as part of the National Education programme conducted by the Ministry of Education (MOE) for schools.

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Type Worship: Inspirational Typography & Lettering

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Following our Typographers' Typefaces post, listing the top 25 font choices from our industry experts, Lexie Lu has written this insightful guest post to help you get the most from fonts on the web.

Fonts are one of the biggest parts of design. Choose the wrong font, and the entire design is off. Choose the right font, and you draw readers into the page and add to your overall message. The font you use for a website is different than the one you use for a social media post. Those that work on a laptop may not look right on users' mobile devices. There are many aspects to consider when choosing the perfect font to suit your needs.

How well the typography of your design works impacts user comprehension. The top complaint web users have is about font sizes that are too small and low in contrast. You should follow six basic steps as you work with fonts on the web:
1. Choose the Right Font Personality
Each font has a personality of its own. One of the most powerful things you can do for your site visitors is to choose a font that conveys your brand's personality. If you run an investment site, you'll want a serious, professional-looking font. On the other hand, if you run a website for Generation Z teenagers, choose one that's fun and youthful. Take the time to really think about the message the fonts you use convey to your reader.

Sean Halpin's personal page is a good example of finding a font that matches the personality of your page. His web design site has an informal feel, as though you're sitting down with a friend over a cup of coffee. In keeping with that tone, the header is actually the image of a font. In the design, he used a cursive font that looks like Halpin penned a personal note to site visitors. It suits the personality of his page perfectly.
2. Stick With the Tried and True
If you feel really uncertain about which font works best, remember that there's nothing wrong with sticking with tried-and-true fonts that designers have used for years. Some of the most popular fonts are popular for a reason. They work on different screens and in both high and low resolution. They're generic enough to put the focus on other elements of the page. One survey of typographers found the 25 most-admired fonts. These options offer a good base to start with.

DY Concrete Pumps does a good job of sticking with some basic fonts that read well on any screen size. The fonts it has chosen are bold and strong, conveying the strength of the company's products.
3. Optimize Your Font
In an ever-increasingly rapid-paced world, people don't want to wait around for your site to load. One vital element of creating a strong design is choosing a font that loads as quickly as possible. Even milliseconds make a difference in the site user's experience, so anything you can do to use style sheets or common fonts will speed things along. In Bram Stein's " Webfont Handbook," he talks about making your website more efficient and readable, as well as optimizing your fonts.

Smashing Magazine uses techniques such as deferring the loading of web fonts and using localStorage to store fonts. It has sped up its site by 700 milliseconds, and its popularity proves its tactics work. Note that the fonts used are still fairly simple and look good on all screen sizes. While the tactics they use optimize the fonts, they also take the time to choose fonts that work on other levels.
4. Choose the Right Font
It's important to find the right type of font for the purpose of the design. Optical size is based on factors such as weight, x-height, spacing and contrast. For example, if you need a font for a short space, display fonts offer high-contrast characters and a narrower width. They grab the user's attention and keep it. However, they aren't likely to work as well as reading fonts or smaller text, as they don't have enough weight to keep them sharp.

Serif fonts have feet on the ends of the letters and offer a traditional look. Sans-serif fonts, or "without serifs," offer a more modern look often seen in newsprint. Scripts offer a cursive, handwritten look and decorative fonts grab your attention - they should be used infrequently.

QED, for example, uses its own font - one that ties into its logo. Note how unique the Q is on the page and how it utilizes the font in large letters to draw attention to the uniqueness and personality of the custom font. It uses the display font sparingly, going back to a sans-serif design for the letter D.
5. Design By Hand
If you want to come up with a unique font, you should know that designing by hand allows ultimate control. You can create a script font, calligraphy look or hand-lettered appearance, to name a few. The key to a strong font is to first design by hand and then move to the computer to refine your overall design. Experts recommend testing your font load times on multiple devices, including 3G connections for mobile users. Make font delivery one of your priorities, and your load times will thank you.
Fonts Matter
Don't just choose a vanilla font and expect to make an impact on users. Carefully think through your font choice and how it conveys your brand. Once you have an overall style in mind, take the time to make sure the font fits with your other design elements, loads fast and works for different screen sizes. With attention to detail, your font designs will stand out from those of your competitors. Fonts still matter, so take your time, and choose the best one for your site and designs.

Lexie is a freelance graphic designer and typography enthusiast. Her work is featured on Marketo, Manta, ColourLovers and Website Magazine. Check out her design blog, Design Roast, and follow her on Twitter @lexieludesigner.

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Type Worship: Inspirational Typography & Lettering

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Following our Typographers' Typefaces post, listing the top 25 font choices from our industry experts, Lexie Lu has written this insightful guest post to help you get the most from fonts on the web. Fonts are one of the biggest parts of design. Choose the wrong font, and the entire design is off.

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BOSTON -- A "free speech rally" held Saturday in front of Boston City Hall ended peacefully despite the presence of counter-protesters in the same area, CBS Boston reported.

Members of the free speech rally said they were defending their first amendment rights as they arrived at City Hall around noon. They said they are not white supremacists.

The city did not grant them permits for their rally, but the group marched and will hold speeches at Government Center anyway.

The Associated Press reported that Boston Free Speech organized the conservative event. Organizer John Medlar said it is meant to call out Internet censorship and "violent suppression of discourse in the public square." According to a Facebook page for the event, the rally was also organized by Resist Marxism.

Boston Free Speech says on its Facebook page that it accepts people with views "from all sides of the political spectrum." Resist Marxism says on its page that it was founded to "defend the Constitution against violent extremists and the Regressive Left."

Organizers of Stand Against Hate - Boston and Antifa also marched to City Hall Plaza on Saturday in advance of the "free speech" rally. Police positioned themselves between the two groups.

Lisa Gresci, a reporter for CBS Boston, said more than 200 marched to City Hall to a protest the small group of "free speech" demonstrators. According to Gresci, the protesters shouted chants of "blue lives matter" and "USA," while counter-protesters chanted slogans against the Trump administration and white supremacy.

They are chanting "blue lives matter" and "USA" @wbz pic.twitter.com/XVTgoL6hKr
- Lisa Gresci (@Lisa_Gresci) August 18, 2018

Gresci reported shortly before 1 p.m. that police were escorting the "free speech" protesters as they left.

The freedom of speech group leaving while being escorted by police @wbz pic.twitter.com/QNQzE8wbPW
- Lisa Gresci (@Lisa_Gresci) August 18, 2018

In 2017, in the aftermath of deadly conflicts in Virginia, a "free speech" rally was held in Boston. The small group was outnumbered by thousands of counter-protesters on Boston Common.

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"Free speech rally" in Boston draws counter-protesters

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BOSTON -- A "free speech rally" held Saturday in front of Boston City Hall ended peacefully despite the presence of counter-protesters in the same area, CBS Boston reported. Members of the free speech rally said they were defending their first amendment rights as they arrived at City Hall around noon.

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Target audience : Anyone and everyone who wish to contribute or donate.

Proposition: To inform people how material donation is equally important.

Concept: Very few of us know about the little needs of the underprivileged
and disaster casualties, by making material donation equally important
we can meet their needs easily and more efficiently.

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GOONJ- Little Needs | Advertising campaign.

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Target audience : Anyone and everyone who wish to contribute or donate. Proposition: To inform people how material donation is equally important. Concept: Very few of us know about the little needs of the underprivileged and disaster casualties, by making material donation equally important we can meet their needs easily and more efficiently.

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It's good to know that more and more of us in Malaysia are showing support in many forms for the #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) movement that was sparked in the United States when African-American George Floyd was killed while in custody by a white police officer. But supporting America's BLM movement while being anti-migrant and racist at home is simply contradictory.

The BLM movement should and must exist beyond a trend. And from this movement we should be able to recognise and acknowledge the issues in our own backyard. It is about time that we start to discuss issues that are neglected, issues that are inconvenient for some of us to speak about, and issues that are often swept under the rug.

It is imperative for us to learn and expand the spirit of the movement as a way to show our support. At least by not helping to normalise xenophobia and racism in Malaysia for a start. Our dream to live together without prejudice may not be realised in 2020 because we are still fed with the "we are all Malaysians, not Malays, Chinese or Indians" rhetoric. My question is, why force everyone to be colour blind if we can enjoy the beauty of all colours?

Now is the time to learn to accept the reality of Malaysia's heterogeneity and really celebrate our differences without prejudice. Isn't that what we keep telling the world about this blessed soil? Malaysia should be unique because we can continue to be Malay, Chinese, Indian or others and still live happily together. We should have races, without racism.

Racism comes in many different shapes and definitions. After decades, the Merriam-Webster dictionary has recently agreed to revise its definition of racism when Kennedy Mitchum, a 22-year-old American graduate, emailed the dictionary's publisher to let them know that their current definition of the word is inadequate in explaining the system of advantage based on skin colour in the United States. Mitchum asserts that racism is not only prejudice against a certain race due to the colour of a person's skin as stated in the dictionary; she says it is both prejudice combined with social and institutional power.

Does this ring a bell?

Racism is what makes Us view the "Other" with suspicion. Racism makes us attribute negative characteristics to an entire group of people. So while decades of systemic or institutionalised racism may take time to dismantle, we can start with something that we can definitely change today, right now.

I saw this one meme that has gone viral on social media that calls out Malaysians who advocate for BLM but ignore racism and xenophobia at home:

"Some Malaysians: BLACK LIVES MATTER! Pung pang pung pang."

"Also, some Malaysians:

> "When they speak to their children: 'You naughty, later that Indian man will catch you, ha!'

> "When they speak among themselves: 'Don't rent your house to black people, they are dirty.' 'You are smelly like that Rohingya.' 'I can only see your teeth in this picture.'

> "When employers speak among themselves: 'Don't hire Malays, they are lazy!'"

For some, these are just jokes, albeit in extremely poor taste. For some, this is just a way to discipline children. But no matter how much we want to sugar-coat them, they are still toxic and totally unacceptable.

> Think also about those times when some of us women flinch and clutch our handbags when we see an Indian man walking by our table.

> Think about those times when we go to Kuala Lumpur's famed Low Yatt Plaza to buy a laptop and think that the Chinese seller is going to cheat us out of our money.

> Think about when a Malay gets a scholarship to study abroad but that success is still racially associated - "boleh lah sebab dia Melayu, ada tongkat (he/she got it because he/she has an advantage)".

> Think about those times when we criminalise, dehumanise immigrants and refugees in Malaysia.

For change to happen, we must first recognise the problems. This type of casual racism is called microaggression; it has been casually internalised in many Malaysians' linguistic repertoire. Microagressions are as dangerous as any overt racial slur because they help to shape our discourse, our reality, and thus help to strengthen racism, whether individual or institutional.

The next question is, how many of us feel uncomfortable when we hear something like these? How many of us are brave enough to interrupt this? How many of us simply brush this off, keep silent and move on with our lives? Or have we become desensitised?

Racism is bad no matter in what form, no matter in what sense. So speak up or be complicit. Mind your words and think before you speak. Let's be more verbally hygienic: Stop overt hateful, prejudicial, stereotypical statements as well as off the cuff remarks with racist undertones. The process to de-normalise racism should start with us, right now.
DR NADILLA JAMIL

Assistant Professor, Critical Discourse Studies (Linguistics), Department of English Language and Literature, International Islamic University Malaysia

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Let's fight racism in Malaysia with verbal hygiene

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It's good to know that more and more of us in Malaysia are showing support in many forms for the #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) movement that was sparked in the United States when African-American George Floyd was killed while in custody by a white police officer.

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When the Black Lives Matter movement erupted across the US in response to the killing of George Floyd, the global response to it was loud and immediate. Malaysians, who like the rest of the world were deeply troubled by what had taken place, reacted with dismay over the senseless violence that black people disproportionately faced in their day-to-day lives. Social media was a good place to gauge the sentiment - it was a unified expression of distress, commiseration and empathy, felt even more strongly in the midst of a year that has already been very difficult.

After the initial outburst died down in Malaysia, a lot of people started to notice the irony - as a country, we certainly are not free from racism, and many of the issues faced in the US are present here too. While it was commendable to support the fight for equality in the US, there was a growing call locally to take a good look at ourselves and address our own biases that often manifest as racist sentiments. Discussions broke out on social media on various negative experiences of Malaysians who faced discrimination based purely on their race.

It was this thought that inspired local streetwear brand Pestle & Mortar's Darah Tetap Sama Merah campaign, which takes a stand against racism through a common narrative of unity and equality. Its message is expressed through a series of stickers given out for free at their stores, with the idea to remind their customers that all Malaysians are equal and are more than the stereotypes used to define them.

Fashion has always played a part in activism as every single item has the potential to be a powerful message - something Hugh Koh, one of Pestle & Mortar's five co-founders, has always believed in. This principle particularly applies to streetwear brands, which has traditionally been able to grasp the energy and movement that young people were bringing forward. Historically, this fashion category was founded on the principles of response, its pioneering designers often outspoken in seeking for change. This makes streetwear in and of itself a political statement.

"When we founded Pestle & Mortar in 2010, we wanted this clothing line to be a channel to express what we believed in, and spread awareness of issues important to us," begins Koh, who also holds the position of chief vision officer. "We've tackled a number of social issues before in various ways, so when all this happened, our initial thoughts were centred around an apparel collection that focused on the issue - it's what we normally do."

But these are not normal times, and a normal response would not suffice. Also, consider that messages on T-shirts are a form of protest that goes back to the Vietnam War, so it is high time for something new.

In addition, T-shirts need to be bought while Pestle & Mortar's stickers are given away for free, which drastically expands the brand's reach. From a practical standpoint, stickers are often placed on items that are used daily - on laptops, for example - do not have to be ironed or stitched on and are a product category the brand is already involved in.

When Koh and his team brainstormed how they could be involved in the movement in a sensitive and meaningful way, it was evident that highlighting the Malaysian experience would prove most effective in terms of delivering the message. "While understanding the call of the Black Lives Matter movement, we were well aware of how blatant racism is in our own nation. Being a brand that has never been afraid to push back certain boundaries, we decided to put out a few statements that expressed those feelings."

Darah Tetap Sama Merah - which translates into our blood is the same shade of red - reminds us of our common identity as humans, as Malaysians, and the stickers bear powerful messages of hope while not losing focus on the issues. "No we're not gonna rob you" and "kita bukan semua pemalas" aim to deconstruct some common stereotypes, while "we are not 'dan lain-lain'" and "kita bukan pendatang" speak of long-held institutionalised racism that emphasises our differences in a way that separates us from our Malaysian-ness. It is painful to read because the stickers are like mirrors, reflecting our collective consciousness that has been influenced by statements we have heard, or may even have used against each other.

"Given the chance, we'd have had more than just six messages," Koh muses. "There were 50 to 60 ideas in total and we whittled the list down to the most powerful, the most representative of the local experience and that were also easily understood. We were very particular that the messages be both in English and Bahasa Malaysia; you can't neglect the fact that the latter is our national language. When people think of Pestle & Mortar, they associate it with a more urban or elite aesthetic, and that's not entirely true. We wanted to make sure that this campaign, which is very important to us, was in English as well as our national mother tongue, which is Bahasa Malaysia."

The feedback for the campaign has, for the most part, been overwhelmingly positive. The plan for Darah Tetap Sama Merah was meant to stop at stickers, but Koh and his team are mulling over future ideas. The goal is quality rather than quantity, so each step will have to be taken thoughtfully. "This is only the start, that I can say, but I'd be lying if I said I knew for sure what is going to happen in the future. We have received quite a few proposals for partnerships on this, but nothing's been confirmed. I think the campaign is a catalyst for something bigger for us, but we don't know what that is just yet."

This is a deeply poignant campaign for Pestle & Mortar, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. "We did have some pretty big plans, but I think we will just celebrate our 11th anniversary [instead]," Koh quips. "A decade ago, there was no Malaysian brand that properly expressed who we are and our collective personalities and this actually started out as a passion project. It got more traction than we expected, and there was a strong resonance with the sense of Malaysian pride that we championed. "

Stickers may seem like an overly simplistic way to carry the message of Darah Tetap Sama Merah, but it is the thought behind them that matters the most. After all, ideas possess far more impact than a T-shirt ever would - and they certainly last longer too.
This article first appeared on Aug 10, 2020 in The Edge Malaysia.

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Pestle & Mortar's anti-racism campaign highlights role of fashion in spotlighting social issues

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When the Black Lives Matter movement erupted across the US in response to the killing of George Floyd, the global response to it was loud and immediate. Malaysians, who like the rest of the world were deeply troubled by what had taken place, reacted with dismay over the senseless violence that black people disproportionately faced in their day-to-day lives.

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お立ち寄りいただき、まことにありがとうございます。
他店には真似のできない、当店だけのオリジナル書体による印鑑をご紹介します。

まず、上の見本作品群をご覧になっていかがお感じでしょうか。
「どれも見たことのない印鑑ばかりだ」とお思いになったことでしょう。
それもそのはず、上の印鑑はすべて当店だけのオリジナル書体です。

これから初めて実印・銀行印をお作りになるというお客様、
また、大切な方へ一生の贈り物として印鑑をお考えのお客様に、
１点だけ、とてもシンプルかつ重要なアドバイスを差し上げます。

「 ソックリ印鑑が存在する印鑑（実印・銀行印）は危険です 」

印鑑、特に実印・銀行印は、その持ち主がご本人であることを常に証明し、
なおかつ、その権利や財産を護るという、重大な使命を担っています。
実印・銀行印は、他に同じものがない印鑑でなくてはなりません。
もし、 ソックリな印鑑が他に存在しては非常に危険 なのです。

論より証拠、下記の実例をご覧ください。

上の9点は、すべて異なるネット印鑑店で実際に注文した篆（てん）書の印鑑です。
字の太さ・大きさの違いはあっても、どれも同じような印鑑に見えませんか？

他と同じ「田中正洋」と彫られています。

いかがですか？この圧倒的な個性と存在感。これと似たような印鑑は他にはありません。
では書体を変えて、同じような実例をもう１つ、ご紹介しましょう。

こちらは上の篆書とはすべて異なるネットショップで実際に注文した印相体の印鑑です。
篆書よりもはるかに ソックリ印鑑 のオンパレードで、まるで全部が同じに見えてきます。

まず右上 Ｍと Ｎはほんの少し大きさが違うだけで、文字はまったく 同じフォントです。
Ｑと Ｒ、左上の Ｊと Ｋ、その下の Ｏと Ｐも、それぞれ 同じ文字フォントによる印鑑です。
こうなると世の中はソックリ印鑑であふれている、といっても過言でないかもしれません。

他と同じ「田中正洋」と彫られています。

他の印鑑とは決定的に異なり、全体的に流れるような麗しい文字が実に個性的です。
このように、当店だけの独自書体で創られた印鑑は、他とは明確に一線を画しています。

今や同じフォントを搭載する印鑑彫刻機が日本全国の多くの店に導入され、
偶然の一致によるソックリ印鑑が、毎日続々と世に送り出されていきます。
さらには、 一般の方でも買える印鑑用市販書体（フォント）が広く普及しており、
それさえ使えば、同じ書体（フォント）で彫られた印鑑とソックリの印影を
誰でも簡単に、もっと言えばできてしまうのす。

それなら、手彫りなら安心かというと、必ずしもそうは申せません。
実印・銀行に用いられる書体は、篆書か印相体がほとんどですが、
いずれの書体とも文字の基本形（字形といいます）が限られています。
また、多くの職人が同じ字典（文字の辞書）を参考にデザインを決めるので、
同じ文字が彫られていれば、異なる職人の手による印鑑であっても、
一般の方にはソックリな印鑑に見えてしまう でしょう。

他に同じようなものがあってはならないはずの実印・銀行印に、
実は数多くのソックリ印鑑が存在し、しかもその数は増え続けていく－
それはすなわち、持ち主であるご本人の権利や財産が、
危険にさらされる可能性が増すことを意味します。

ともに30年以上の経験を持つ二人の職人は、この現状に危機感を抱き、
「 ソックリ印鑑が存在せず、なおかつ美しいオリジナル書体 」 を開発し、
彼らにしかできない印鑑の彫刻に、今日も励んでおります。

どこにでもあるようなソックリ印鑑とはまったく異なる、
個性あふれる書体の印鑑にご興味をお持ちいたただきましたら、
当店だけのオリジナル書体ご説明ページ（←クリック！）を、ぜひご覧ください。
ここまでお読みいただき、ありがとうございます。

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手彫り印鑑／オリジナル書体だから世界に1本【美印工房】

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お立ち寄りいただき、まことにありがとうございます。他店には真似のできない、当店だけのオリジナル書体による印鑑をご紹介します。 まず、上の見本作品群をご覧になっていかがお感じでしょうか。「どれも見たことのない印鑑ばかりだ」とお思いになったことでしょう。それもそのはず、上の印鑑はすべて当店だけのオリジナル書体です。 ...

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If you make your way over to the MIT Media Lab website, you'll notice a subtle difference in the top lefthand corner of the page. For the last three years, the space was occupied by a logo that looked like three spotlights projecting multi-colored beams into the unknown distance. Created by Richard The and Roon Kang for the Lab's 25th anniversary in 2011, the spotlights were generated by an algorithm that could generate up to 40,000 permutations of the logo.

It was a brilliant bit of design, ever-changing just like the Media Lab itself. So when MIT got in touch with Pentagram partner Michael Bierut about overhauling the identity, Bierut was surprised by the ask. "I said, 'you already have a logo,'" he recalls.

The 2011 identity was an apt visual representation of the Lab's varied research, which includes (but is definitely not limited to) topics like synthetic neurobiology, game design, prosthetic design and material research. But MIT wanted something more stable, something that communicated the idea that these 23 separate research labs were part of the bigger, cohesive MIT family. "It came down to the issue that every organization that's trying to communicate graphically comes to, which is: how do you get unity without uniformity?" says Bierut. To find an answer for that dilemma, Bierut and his team looked to the past.

MIT might be best known for its engineering prowess, but it has a rich history of graphic design, too. In the 1962, Muriel Cooper, the longtime art director for MIT Press, designed the organization's now-famous logo: Seven vertical white lines set against a black background that suggested the name MIT Press. It was simple and concise, a nod to the Bauhaus legacy of design. It was also enduring; more than 50 years later, MIT Press is still using the same logo. Cooper went on to found the Media Lab's Visual Language Workshop, which ushered in a new technologically-focused age of graphic design.

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MIT Media Lab Gets a Transforming Logo, Courtesy of Pentagram

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If you make your way over to the MIT Media Lab website, you'll notice a subtle difference in the top lefthand corner of the page. For the last three years, the space was occupied by a logo that looked like three spotlights projecting multi-colored beams into the unknown distance.

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The Healthy Charger is a conceptual product; a massaging chair that offers the customized massaging technology for our body according to our individual health condition; by adopting the concept of ancient Chinese medical wisdom. This idea is reflected in ...

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If you'd like more stories like this, feel free to join our HARI INI DALAM SEJARAH Facebook group ?
So recently, there's a huge uproar about teaching SJK students khat, or calligraphy in Jawi script. We won't go into too much detail about that, since a lot have been written about it (MalaysiaKini actually did a pretty comprehensive explainer on that). But here's a basic version of what happened:

Plans of teaching khat got leaked out, some education groups and people got miffed and protested, people got divided and poured out their strong opinions against each other, politicians scrabbled around trying to put out the fires, and recently, the issue got settled with a sort of "if you want to learn, can, if don't want also can".

Right. So pretty much another day in democratic Malaysia Baru. Being the scholars that we are, we decided to look past the burning buildings and see what's the deal with Jawi, how it came to be, and how come we're still keeping it around when we have these convenient Latin letters (commonly known as Rumi). After all, we're pretty sure most of us see instances of it every day...

...but how many of us actually know the history behind it? Well, that's what we'll be talking about today, starting with the (perhaps) surprising fact that...

Before Jawi, Bahasa Melayu was written in Rencong and Indian-based scripts

[ Update 22 Aug: One of our readers, Araduas Rasis Razali, pointed out to us that Rencong may not have been derived from Indian based-scripts after all, being considered an original Malay invention. This article had been changed to reflect that.]

While many might equate the history of the Malays with the keris, Sultans, mountain princesses, and trade with the Arabs, the history of the Malay language started way before that. The history is a bit fuzzy, as not much interest was given towards the history of the Malay language until roughly the colonial times, and most of what we know today came from surviving relics, like tombstones and stone inscriptions (Batu Bersurats, if it helps).

Like many other languages, Malay went through several evolutions before becoming what it is today. Before the 7th century, the Malay language was termed as Ancient Malay or Proto-Malay (aka Melayu Purba). This was a prehistoric time, and so far no written records have been found of this kind of Malay, leading to the belief that at this point, it's a purely oral (spoken) language, with no written script.

The people in the Malay archipelago then made contact with Indian traders, and consequently their religion and language. Having received heavy influence from Sanskrit as well as ideas found in Hindu-Buddhism, Ancient Malay evolved into what is known as (Melayu Kuno). It seemed to rise to prominence sometime between the 7th and 13th century, during the height of the Srivijayan empire.

According to a source, Sanskrit at that time was seen as an atas kind of language, being the language of scholars. So even though several concepts already have Ancient Malay terms, they were replaced by adapted Sanskrit words. It is believed that some prefixes and suffixes in modern-day Malay gained its roots here, like adding '-ku' at the end of words to denote possession ('keretaku' = my car, 'buahku' = my fruit, etc), plus other prefixes like 'ber-' and 'di-', although their spellings were different in Old Malay ('mar-' and 'ni-', respectively).

Several inscriptions in Old Malay have been found over the years, and they seem to use scripts adapted from Indian scripts, like Kawi, which looks something like this...

and Pallava.

Another script called Rencong, believed to be an original Malay writing system, was also used at this time.

Old Malay reigned popular up until the early 13th century, when...

Trade with the Islamic world brought Islam, as well as the Jawi script

While we stated rough dates for the previous transitions, they were never sudden changes. The dates were estimates for the timeframes when each version of Malay probably became widely used. Jawi was said to have become popular starting the 13th century with the arrival of Islam, although some might argue that Islam in the region precedes the Jawi script, with tombstones and historical sailing logs that suggest Islamic practice as early as the 8th century.

Jawi script is derived from Arabic, but with a difference: it has six additional characters added/adapted to represent sounds in Malay not found in Arabic, i.e. /c/, /ng/, /v/, /g/, /ny/ and /p/. As for why people would switch to a whole different writing system, it has something to do with learning Islam.

[ Okay, side note. The Arabic character with the 'y/i' sound actually has two dots underneath it, but writer realized too late so too lazy to edit. Without the dots, it's a not-commonly encountered additional character in Jawi that carries the sound of either 'a' or the 'e' in 'emak', usually used for loanwords. Don't @ us about this please. End of side note.]

In the beginning, there were efforts to learn Islam from its two main sources: the Al-Quran, the main text of Islam, and the Hadith, which is a collection of sayings and behaviors of the Prophet Muhammad. These were mostly in Arabic back then, so to read them you need to know Arabic letters. Plus, in Islam, the correct Arabic pronunciation of certain prayers and phrases is important, something that the existing Sanskrit-based scripts cannot accurately portray.

To solve both problems of inaccurate pronunciation and unfamiliarity with the Arabic script, the Jawi script was introduced. This isn't really a phenomenon unique to Malaysia, actually. For example, the Chinese language has their own version of 'Jawi' commonly caller Xiao'erjing, used by Muslim minority groups in parts of China.

With the introduction of the Jawi script and a generous helping of Arabic and Persian vocabulary, Old Malay morphed into Classical Malay. This form of Malay is different from its previous version in many ways, like having longer, more complicated sentences, the usage of 'pun' and 'lah', a change in grammar and sentence style influenced by Arab, and the popularity of sentence starters like 'hatta', 'alkisah', and 'adapun'. This is the kind of Malay you see in Sultanate historical dramas.

The Malay language and Islam became really popular in the region, and some had credited Jawi as the catalyst for that. At its height, it was used by both the common folk and for official affairs, no longer being limited to just Islamic classrooms. The Sultans of that time were even said to write letters to foreign monarchs in Jawi. With the booming trade, Malay and Jawi became the lingua franca of the region, but Jawi soon fell out of popularity when...

Westerners introduced the Roman script to the archipelago

It's unclear when people started romanizing Malay, but sources would point to sometime after Malacca fell to the Portuguese. A teaching document suggests that the first angmoh to romanize Malay was a person named Duarte Barbosa in 1516, but it didn't say much else. He was said to have accompanied Magellan on his circumnavigation of the world, but another friend of Magellan named Antonio Pigafetta was credited with the first ever romanized dictionary of Malay.

Pigafetta's dictionary contained about 400 words. However, as can be seen in this sample...

...his spelling seems to be based on the sound of the words in Italian, instead of a transliteration from Jawi. Over the years, as Malaya changed hands, several other dictionaries and spelling systems for Malay in Roman script were published, but the spellings differ quite significantly, by time and region based on who's colonizing.

Of interest was the case of Malaysia vs Indonesia spelling: after the Anglo-Dutch treaty of 1824, Malaya went under the British, while Indonesia went under the Dutch. In the early 1900s, it was said that Malaya standardized its spelling for official use using the Wilkinson spelling system, while Indonesia used the van Ophuijsen spelling system, which spelled Malay words according to Dutch sounds.

The commonly seen difference was that the van Ophuijsen system uses 'j' for 'c' and 'y' sounds: 'jari' in Malaya was spelled 'tjari' in Indonesia, 'nyawa' was spelled 'njawa', etc. Oh, and 'u' sounds are written as 'oe'. Like this:

Several improvements to the system happened after that, perhaps notably by a Malay scholar named Za'ba, who among other things identified the six vocal sounds used in Malay and set down several rules in transliterating Jawi words into Rumi, the Roman script.

Sometime in 1967, Malaysia and Indonesia got together and standardized their spelling systems, and since then, the spelling system for Malay words in Malaysia had been maintained by the Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka (DBP).

So with the Rumi script in place and more vocabulary added to the language over the years from various colonizers, Classical Malay turned into the modern Malay we know today. And unlike Kawi, Pallava and Rencong, which can barely be seen today, Jawi is still being used in modern day Malaysia. However...

Although it's still being used, some fear that Jawi will soon be forgotten

Academically, there might still be value in learning the Jawi script. Jawi did make up a huge part of Malaya's history, and in the 700 or so years when Jawi was the belle of the ball, thousands of historical documents were written in it. Even (perhaps) the most recognizable historical document we have, the Declaration of Independence, was written in Jawi. However, at least 4,000 of these historical documents are still waiting to be researched and/or transliterated into Rumi.

With the improvements in spelling Malay words in Rumi over the years, Jawi had not been neglected by Malay scholars, with more rules added for spelling with it to remove ambiguity. But although both systems are still being used today, Jawi is considerably less popular. Sometime in the 1960s the National Language Act 1963/67 was implemented, and it effectively established the Rumi system as the official writing system for Malay, although it's not wrong if people want to use Jawi.

"The script of the national language shall be the Rumi script: provided that this shall not prohibit the use of the Malay script, more commonly known as the Jawi script, of the national language," - Section 9 of the National Language Act.

Today, Jawi is still being taught in schools, most noticeably in the subject of Pendidikan Islam, where the official textbooks are written almost entirely in Jawi. However, there is a concern that Jawi is becoming less and less popular, particularly among the younger generation. It must be noted, however, that we are unable to find the exact statistics to back this statement. Regardless of that, to fix the perception, some state governments and NGOs have tried using the script more in banners and signboards, and by holding campaigns to rekindle the people's interest in the script.

Regardless of how people may see Jawi, it can't be denied that it is a significant part of Malaysia's history, but whether or not it will still be relevant in Malaysia's future... that's not really something we can say for certain.

If you'd like more stories like this, feel free to join our HARI INI DALAM SEJARAH Facebook group ?

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The history of the Malay language, from Pallava to Jawi to modern Malay, simplified

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If you'd like more stories like this, feel free to join our HARI INI DALAM SEJARAH Facebook group ? So recently, there's a huge uproar about teaching SJK students khat, or calligraphy in Jawi script. We won't go into too much detail about that, since a lot have been written about it (MalaysiaKini actually did a pretty comprehensive explainer on that).

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Legendary beginnings

Cangjie (倉頡), an official historian of the Yellow Emperor, is traditionally credited with inventing the Chinese writing system. According to legend, he had four eyes and four pupils, and that when he invented Chinese characters, the demons cried and the sky rained millet. The Yellow Emperor, who reigned between 2697-2597 BC or 2696-2598 BC according to tradition, is regarded as the founder of Chinese civilization.

At the time of the Yellow Emperor, records were kept using knots on ropes. The emperor thought this system was unsatisfactory and charged Cangjie to create a writing system for Chinese. Cangjie did not know how to proceed at first, but was eventually decided to base characters on the special characteristics of animals, birds and other natural phonomena. The emperor was very pleased with the new script and had textbooks produced and sent to the different parts of his empire so that Cangjie could teach people his script.

Proto-writing?

In 1999 in Jiahu (贾湖) in Henan (河南) province artifacts inscribed with symbols resembling Oracle Bone Script characters were discovered. The Jiahu site dates back to around 6,600 BC, and some believe that the symbols are Chinese characters, or perhaps a form of Chinese proto-writing. Others argue that the gap between these symbols and the Oracle Bone Script is too long for them to have remained more or less unchanged, so they are unlikely to be ancestors of Chinese characters.

Oracle Bone Script (甲骨文 jiǎgǔwén)

The oldest inscriptions that are recognised unequivocally as Chinese date from about 1200 BC and were found in Anyang, the capital of the Shang Dynasty (商朝 - 1600-1046 BC) in 1895. They consist of short texts inscribed on ox scapulae and turtle plastrons and are known as oracle bones (甲骨 - jiǎgǔ), and the script is known as the Oracle Script (甲骨文) or "shell bone script".

Some characters in the Oracle Bone Script with their modern equivalents.

More details of the Oracle Bone Script

Bronze Script (金文 jīnwén)

The Bronze Script is the name used for inscriptons on bronze artifacts, such as bells and cauldrons, dating from the Shang and Zhōu Dynasties. The earlier inscriptions were writing in the wet clay molds used to cast the bronze; many later inscriptions were inscriped into the bronze after it was cast.

This was not a single script but rather a number of different scripts which developed in different ways in different regions, particularly from the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋時代 [春秋时代] chūnqiū shídài) or 771 to 476 BC. From the late Spring and Autumn Period to early Warring States Period, a number of artistic scripts, such as the Bird Script (鳥書 niǎoshū) and Worm Script (蟲書 chóngshū) emerged.

Some characters in the Bronze Script with their modern equivalents.

Seal Script (篆書 [篆书] zhuànshū)

Seal Script is a style of Chinese calligraphy that developed during the Zhōu dynasty (c. 1046-256 BC) and the Warring State Period of the Qin Dynasty (c. 481/475-403 BC). The Qin version became the standard formal of the Qin dynasty, and continued to be used during the Han Dynasty for decorative purposes and name seals. The name 篆 (zhuàn) means "decorative engraving" and this script is still used for name seals/chops. The Qin version of the Seal Script is also known as the Small Seal Script (小篆 xiǎozhuàn).

Some characters in the Seal Script with their modern equivalents.

Sample text in the Seal Script

Clerical Script (隸書 [隶书])

The Clerical Script or Chancery Script is a style of Chinese calligraphy that developed during the Qin dynasty, became the dominant style during the Han dynasty, and was used until the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD). It is still used for headlines, signs and adverts. This script is thought to have developed from a relatively simple "vulgar" script which emerged during the Warring States period and became popular with ordinary people, as well as with government scribes, during the Qin dynasty at a time when literacy was spreading.

Sample text in the Clerical script

Regular Script (楷書 [楷书] kǎishū)

The Regular Script first appeared during the Eastern Han and Cao Wei Dynasties in about 200 AD. It is associated with Zhōng Yóu (鍾繇), who lived between about 151-230 AD, and is known as the "father of the regular script". By the 7th century AD it had developed into the mature form that is still used.

Some characters in the Standard Script.

Sample text in the Standard Script

This sample text shows the Standard Script with zhùyīn fúhào (注音符號) the phonetic alphabet used in Taiwan to show the pronunciation of characters in dictionaries, books for children, textbooks for people learning Chinese, and in some newspapers.

More information about zhuyin fuhao

Running script (行書)

The Running Script or Semi-cursive Script is a cursive style of Chinese calligraphy that developed from the Clerical Script from the 1st century AD. It is easier to read that than Draft Script as the characters are not as abbreviated.

Some characters in the Running Script.

Sample text in the Running script

Draft script (草書)

The Draft or Cursive Script is a style of Chinese calligraphy that developed during the Han Dynasty. At first it was a cursive version of the Clerical Script known as 章草 (zhāngcǎo) in Chinese, and as ancient cursive, draft cursive or clerical cursive in English. The script developed further during the Jin Dynasty, and has been used as a form of shorthand and as a calligraphic script since then. It is quick to write because some parts of characters are omitted, some strokes are merged, some parts are replaced with simpler alternatives, and some of the strokes are modified. For those not familiar with this style of writing, it can be difficult to read.

Some characters in the Draft Script.

Sample text in the Draft Script

Simplified characters (简体字)

In an effort to increase literacy about 2,000 of the characters used in China have been simplified. These simplified characters are also used in Singapore, but in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau the traditional characters are used. Both types of characters are used in Malaysia, with the simplified ones most used for educational and official purposes.

The simplified characters were officially adopted in the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Sample text in simplified characters

More information about simplified characters

Transliteration of sample texts

Rénrén shēng ér zìyóu, zài zūnyán hé quánlì shàng yīlǜ píngděng. Tāmen fùyǒu lǐxìng hé liángxīn, bìng yīng yǐ xīongdì guānxì de jīngshén hùxiāng duìdài.

This transliteration is written in Hànyǔ pīnyīn (汉语拼音), one of the numerous phonetic transcription systems for Mandarin Chinese.

Details of phonetic transcription systems for Mandarin and other varieties of Chinese.

Translation of the sample texts

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Recommended books

Books about Chinese characters and calligraphy
Mandarin, Shanghainese, Hokkien, Taiwanese and Cantonese language learning materials

Links

Information about written Chinese
http://www.ancientscripts.com/chinese.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Written_Chinese
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script

Written Chinese: Oracle Bone Script, Simplified characters, Bopomofo, Types of characters, Structure of written Chinese, Evolution of characters, How the Chinese script works

Other Chinese pages: Chinese numbers (數碼) | Chinese classifiers (量詞) | Video lessons | Electronic dictionaries | Chinese links |Books: Chinese characters and calligraphy | Cantonese | Mandarin, Shanghainese, Hokkien and Taiwanese

Akkadian Cuneiform, Ancient Egyptian (Demotic), Ancient Egyptian (Hieratic), Ancient Egyptian (Hieroglyphs), Chinese, Chữ-nôm, Cuneiform, Japanese, Jurchen, Khitan, Linear B, Luwian, Mayan, Naxi, Sawndip (Old Zhuang), Sui, Sumerian Cuneiform, Tangut (Hsihsia)

Other writing systems

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Cangjie (倉頡), an official historian of the Yellow Emperor, is traditionally credited with inventing the Chinese writing system. According to legend, he had four eyes and four pupils, and that when he invented Chinese characters, the demons cried and the sky rained millet.