The Chinese Language In All Its Forms - Calligraphy

A few weeks ago, Hubby and I took Elle (10yrs old) to see a Chinese Calligraphy demonstration being offered by Dalhousie University's Chinese Studies program. We watched for about 40 minutes (which was pretty much 30 minutes too long for Elle), and Hubby and I were transfixed.



Running Style of Chinese Calligraphy

Calligraphy, known as Shufa in Chinese, is literally "the way of writing." It is inseparable to the Chinese culture. Writing is an important way to preserve a culture, and through calligraphy, writing becomes an art form, preserving and promoting the Chinese culture. The way a character is written is as important, if not more important, than the character's meaning. The aim is to bring life and energy into the ink strokes.

"The way characters are written is a portrait of the person who writes them.”
                                                                                           -Chinese saying

Although an art, Chinese calligraphy is also a discipline. In order to master this art, regular practice is necessary. Dr. Jiang, who gave the demonstration, has been practicing calligraphy since he was a child, and practicing for up to four hours a night.

The girls haven't had a chance to practice since our Chunlian, but with spring break coming up, we'll have a some extra time to try it out.

Come back next Wednesday to see the basics of beginning to learn

Chinese Calligraphy.