Chinese Calligraphy

Description

Is it drawing or calligraphy? Chinese characters often resemble the things they represent. For example, the Chinese character “森,” which contains three “木” (one “木” on top of two “木”), means “forest,” because “木” means “trees.” So, triple trees symbolize a lot of woods, hence forest. Why use ink and brush instead of a convenient ballpoint pen? First, it’s about tracing back to how ancient characters were written with ink and brush. Second, it’s about unfolding the practice of daily writing into multiple steps: in class, we’ll be grinding ink sticks, mixing water to produce ink, learning how to correctly use a Chinese calligraphy brush, and writing simple Chinese characters. By practicing Chinese calligraphy more slowly, students will learn about the aesthetics and meanings of Chinese characters, developing an interest in Chinese culture and tradition. It’s an arts and crafts class, a reading and writing class, a culture and tradition class, and a “getting our hands dirty” class all rolled into one.