Hooray! First Chinese Calligraphy Lesson

We had our first Chinese calligraphy lesson last sunday at Brother Yang's house. We started from the basic, writing the character "one" several times, and practiced several calligraphy strokes over and over again. Unlike writing with a pen, calligraphy strokes emphasize the right way to pause, twist, and lift to finish off a stroke. Another important consideration is arrangement, particularly for those Chinese characters that appear lop-sided, usually top heavy. Similarly, the way the brush is held too plays an instrumental role in whether the ensuing calligraphy is free flowing or constrained, the former best achieved with the so-called brush hanging style such that there is more room for the character to flourish. Brother Yang explained that a good holding pattern is such that the palm would just hold an egg without dropping. Brother Yang tried to demonstrate, improvising with a golf ball instead. But the round shape did not lend itself to a good grip and feel.

Here are the results of my first day at the Calligraphy class, admittedly still a long way to go.


This is the famous poem by the famed Chinese Poet, Li Bai, who lived in the Tang Dynasty. We learned to recite the poem while still in elementary school, evoking nostalgia when basked in a moon-lit night.

This is the same poem by Jia Dao that first appeared here. I know, I have an arduous way ahead of me ...