Calligraphy

[David Jamieson]

Does anyone here practice?

Calligraphy or water colour painting?

peace

[Daedalus]

Yes, I do.

I took it up about 3 years ago in an attempt to gain some insight into the classical mind of the samurai. Didn't work.:(


I enjoyed it though so I kept it up. I do it now more as a form of meditation as that if forces me to relax in order to get the strokes correct, but yet at the same time requires alot of concentration.

Besides, it has really come in handy when making out rank certificates. My students like to see some Chinese writing on their certificates. It seems to make them feel closer to the past.

I enjoy calligraphy, but my wife is tired of it hanging in the house.

[shaolinboxer]

I enjoy black ink painting. Still haven't made it past grinding the ink properly and using newspaper to make gazillions of bamboo stalks and fish.

I have also tried simple charaters, stroke order, "attacking" the paper....

But like any zen art, I await my sudden enlightenment that allows the images to flow freely.

I once watched a painter take a deep breath and as he exhaled he whipped out a wickedly beautiful picture of two large coy in a pond (in less than 2 seconds i'd say). I asked, sensei, how did you do that? He said...."I got a good nights sleep and ate breakfast". Typical.

A persuit I hope to enjoy more in the future.

What's up kung Lek? Thinking of taking up a new hobby?

[Outcast]

Hello Kung Lek

I do use watercolours quite a bit but I tend to do more traditional landscapes and studies then chinese images. Can I be of any assistance?

Regards

Outcast

[Asia]

I do Shodo!!!!

[Mr Nunchaku]

I do watercolors for the backgrounds in my comic books. But they stink bad!

[David Jamieson]

Hey this is great...

Artists unite! hahahaha.

Painting, drawing, sculpting and illustration are deep in me blood they is.

At one point, i learned some japanese calligraphy to "help improve my swordsmanship" as it was put to me.

An artist/teacher who taught me some Kung Fu, a man named Yan Kit was also a very accomplished classical chinese artist and I really enjoyed his work.
We collaborated on the sign for my sifu's school. I did the english and he did the chinese.

Speaking with him during this activity and throughout the time we knew each other taught me a lot about classical art from china and when we rebuilt an old Fat Shan lion head, the help of Yan Kit came through in how the painting of the Lion took shape.

So, yeah, I am interested in learning more about the calligrapy, in particular chinese traditional style.

Can any of you point me towards some literature on the subject?
I have lost touch with Yan Kit as he has gone back to China.

peace

[DelicateSound]

I used to be a d a m n good artist when I was about 15, but has to drop it in favour of higher education :rolleyes:

I have a Chinese calligraphic painting of my name above my bed, that a friend brought back from Hong Kong. It really is beautiful, the letters merge into animals. The "L" has a tiger leaping out of it, the "E" is a dragon with a bird on its back, the "W" is two birds in flight, the "I" is a seal rising from the water, and the "S" is two squirrels in play.

According to the friend who got it for me, it was done with sponges rather than brushes, and the detail penned in. There is Chinese writing around the edge and some more beautiful art of pandas, but I can't read Chinese :(

And yes, my name is Lewis. You heard it here first, OK!! :D

[Kristoffer]

:) hehe Lewis.. : )
yeah i draw stuff now and then.. Used to be a comic book artist but I grew tired and havn't really st down to draw anything serious in years.
Actually that's kinda sad :(

[ArtVirtue]

Hi there,

I just started a Chinese calligraphy website for providing custom calligraphy for martial arts, with selections of your favorate calligraphy styles.

You are welcome to view some samples at:
http://www.art-virtue.com/studio&store.htm#Available

More works will be listed in the future for different styles of martial arts. Your comments are appreciated!

:)

J

[greendragon]

anyone know of a good book or website to learn calligraphy or a source for supplie like blank sumi scrolls ? I want to learn it.

[zhangxihuan]

there are many good sites..
go to google and search for Chinese calligraphy.

if you are really enthusiastic, you can buy a chinese calligraphic dictionary (might be hard to find however in missippi.)

supplies can be found on amazon. try getting sheets of rice paper that are cheep, a good sheepshair brush, and you can get bottled ink, or ink that is ground on a stone.

[zhangxihuan]

Hey anyone know of a good Chinese calligraphy mounter in the LA basin?

I'm looking for one.

[roc]

I am from Fuzhou China. Chinese calligraphy is closely linked with kungfu, both of them are considered a high level of art form. To what extend is Chinese calligraphy embraced in the west?

[The Xia]

It's pretty rare. The average person wouldn't be interested in Chinese calligraphy. The closest thing is the popularity of using Chinese characters for tattoos. However, I've heard a lot of stories about people that wind up getting tattoos that say things they wouldn't want written on themselves.

And welcome to the boards roc. :)

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

The study of calligraphy is a great introduction to the language.. it is a superior meditation, an expression of spirit.. Jianye Jiang is a master calligrapher and i have studied his technique, it is beautiful.. his brushwork is a whole body expression, his strokes begin in his feet from a medium height horse-stance and flow through his body onto the paper.. the technique is closely aligned with good CMA principles..

I also play/study the traditional Japanese Shakuhachi, a 5 hole bamboo flute.. it is a great breath meditation and vibrational therapy.. oh, and the flute is a formidable weapon, too.. this is all consistent with a holistic approach to CMA, it is a balanced expression of energies..

Be well..

[roc]

I think it is due to the difference between the western culture and the eastern culture. And the language is a great obstable in understanding the beauty of Chinese calligraphy.

[GeneChing]

It's our 'wisdom' page, since it's usually a martial chengyu. We've been doing this since 2004.

[LoneTiger108]

In truth, I feel that the majority of Chinese Martial Art Schools, especially in the UK, generally do not teach from authentic writings. We have westernized the information to the extent of having no consideration for older curriculums and language, and with all the variants in translation the original meanings tend to be lost or confused. Cultural Treasures need not only be found in religious, historical or political texts, IMHO they should exist in every School of Chinese Martial Arts as they did originally.

Practising Calligraphy for the Martial Artist is also a very heavy burden. Drawing characters that you have a 'physical' attachment to is extremely tiring and has caused me personally to re-assess the true meaning of certain words in the style I practice.

My Sifu was a great influence on me, and encouraged us all to learn how to read or recognize characters. But ultimately the responsibility of pursuing Calligraphy was left to the individual. I've always considered myself an Artist before a Martial Artist as drawing was my first passion. Maybe it is something I will pursue more in old-age...

[冠木侍]

I think it is due to the difference between the western culture and the eastern culture. And the language is a great obstable in understanding the beauty of Chinese calligraphy.

In Chinese culture, the written language is the one universal aspect that unites the different regions. With all the distinct dialects, the separation of north and south, anyone who can write definitely has a leg up no matter what part of the country they are in.

When learning the language, the importance of writing is just as important as learning how to speak. True immersion.

[冠木侍]

In truth, I feel that the majority of Chinese Martial Art Schools, especially in the UK, generally do not teach from authentic writings. We have westernized the information to the extent of having no consideration for older curriculums and language, and with all the variants in translation the original meanings tend to be lost or confused. Cultural Treasures need not only be found in religious, historical or political texts, IMHO they should exist in every School of Chinese Martial Arts as they did originally.

Practising Calligraphy for the Martial Artist is also a very heavy burden. Drawing characters that you have a 'physical' attachment to is extremely tiring and has caused me personally to re-assess the true meaning of certain words in the style I practice.

My Sifu was a great influence on me, and encouraged us all to learn how to read or recognize characters. But ultimately the responsibility of pursuing Calligraphy was left to the individual. I've always considered myself an Artist before a Martial Artist as drawing was my first passion. Maybe it is something I will pursue more in old-age...

Most contemporary Americans don't really care about calligraphy. They only learn Kung Fu for it's fighting principles, its external values. The physical aspect of Martial Arts is only a part of the whole equation.

It is refreshing to know that value is still placed on such things. Gives me hope for the future of martial arts.

[ngokfei]

While there is less exposure to the Traditional relations between the martial Arts and the other Cultural Arts (Calligraphy, Music, Poetry, etc) I find this to be the case also in China as well.

yes language is the barrier. So only those interested in pursuing the Cultural Arts will do so.

there is definetly a connection between the writings and the advancement in understanding ones style.

One major problem is in how Mainland China has switched to the "Simplified Method" as well as using genrealized terms instead of the poetic verses found in the older manuals.

Its a shame all around. China is so focused on the modernization at this point that alot of things are being lost. this is also evident in the new teachers coming from China who do not have a deep understanding of their arts and so the western student who wants to learn these suffer.

eric

[GeneChing]

At the very least, don't use Chinese calligraphy indiscriminately.

Chinese 'classical poem' was brothel ad (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/chinese-classical-poem-was-brothel-ad-1058031.html)
Science journal mistakenly uses flyer for Macau brothel to illustrate report on China
By Clifford Coonan in Beijing
Tuesday, 9 December 2008

A respected research institute wanted Chinese classical texts to adorn its journal, something beautiful and elegant, to illustrate a special report on China. Instead, it got a racy flyer extolling the lusty details of stripping housewives in a brothel.

Chinese characters look dramatic and beautiful, and have a powerful visual impact, but make sure you get the meaning of the characters straight before jumping right in.

There were red faces on the editorial board of one of Germany's top scientific institutions, the Max Planck Institute, after it ran the text of a handbill for a Macau strip club on the front page of its latest journal. Editors had hoped to find an elegant Chinese poem to grace the cover of a special issue, focusing on China, of the MaxPlanckForschung journal, but instead of poetry they ran a text effectively proclaiming "Hot Housewives in action!" on the front of the third-quarter edition. Their "enchanting and coquettish performance" was highly recommended.

The use of traditional Chinese characters and references to "the northern mainland" seem to indicate the text comes from Hong Kong or Macau, and it promises burlesque acts by pretty-as-jade housewives with hot bodies for the daytime visitor.

The Max Planck Institute was quick to acknowledge its error explaining that it had consulted a German sinologist prior to publication of the text. "To our sincere regret ... it has now emerged that the text contains deeper levels of meaning, which are not immediately accessible to a non-native speaker," the institute said in an apology. "By publishing this text we did in no way intend to cause any offence or embarrassment to our Chinese readers. "

But publication of the journal caused some anger among touchier internet users in China who felt the institute had done it on purpose to insult China, or that it was disrespectful to use Chinse as a decoration. But generally, the faux-pas sparked much amusement among Chinese readers.

On anti-cnn.com, a foreigner-baiting website set up after a commentator on the US broadcaster made anti-Chinese comments following the crackdown in Tibet in March, the reaction was mostly "evil fun". One wrote, "Next time, please find a smart Chinese graduate to check your translation", and another said they should try writing "I am illiterate".

The journal has since been updated online and its cover now carries the title of a book by the Swiss Jesuit, Johannes Schreck (1576–1630). The Jesuit text in question was "Illustrated Explanations of Strange Devices".

Chinese is a tonal language, which means words sounding the same can often have very different meanings depending on how they are spoken.

There are tales of drunken teenagers walking out of tattoo parlours with characters reading, "This is one ugly foreigner" or "A fool and his money are easily parted".

Another web-user wrote: "I recently met a German girl with a Chinese tattoo on her neck which in Chinese means 'prostitute'. I laughed so loud, I could hardly breathe."

[ngokfei]

Saw a TV show which showed numerous Asian Character TAttoos that were used incorrectly and simply meant something else.

buyer beware.

[SimonM]

It's pretty rare. The average person wouldn't be interested in Chinese calligraphy. The closest thing is the popularity of using Chinese characters for tattoos. However, I've heard a lot of stories about people that wind up getting tattoos that say things they wouldn't want written on themselves.

And welcome to the boards roc. :)

I saw a woman with the word "pig" on a tattoo.

[Lucas]

I saw a woman with the word "pig" on a tattoo.

but was it her birth sign, or is she just stupid?

[GeneChing]

This year, I was focused on finishing my book, Shaolin Trips (http://www.amazon.com/Shaolin-Trips-Gene-Ching/dp/1424308976/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276188031&sr=1-1), so I haven't been writing many essays. Here's a new essay that's been kicking around in my head for a while. I finally got it down on paper...um, on the web, I mean. Enjoy!

How Chinese Calligraphy Can Improve Your Kung Fu (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=919) by me.

[brianlkennedy]

Dear ROC,
It is interesting you mention this. It has not been my experience in Taiwan that leading martial arts teachers have any great interest or skill in calligraphy. (Before anyone cites Ching Man Ching----he was a long time ago and very much an exception).

Could you tell us more about some of the teachers there in south coastal China who are famous martial arts teachers and well known for their calligraphy?

take care,
Brian

[GeneChing]

The walls of our outer office are adorned with calligraphy from various renowned martial arts masters. We have even more pieces in storage - pieces that we haven't mounted yet (it's expensive to mount them and we're running out of wall space).

Here's a list of martial calligraphers that have appeared in our magazine to date. We've been running calligraphy on our last page since 2004. These are in order and I have omitted the repeat contributions.

Tu Jin-sheng
Li Yancai
Chen Xiaowang
Jiang Jianye
Chen Zhenlei
Shi Deyang
Yu Hai
Yu Chenghui
Qian Yuanze
Shi Dechao
He Fusheng
Jackie Chan
Shi Deci
Sun Lei
Zhao Ziqiu
Me Fei
Fu Biao
Chen Qingzhou

[brianlkennedy]

Hi Gene,
That is true, thanks much.

take care,
Brian

[Scott Larson]

Thanks for the great article, Gene. I think it's very important to see martial arts through different perspectives.

[No_Know]

I think there might be some who in the West who say Cali-what?.. I know California. Or The Chinese studied the fine art of European calligraphy in China?

Me, I think Chinese calligraphy is a measure used to determine the quality of the person. The better your Chinese writing the more respect points and reverence you get. Chinese calligraphy is a way to get cool points to those respectful of or in the Chinese community.

I think Chinese calligraphy is a tool for making great Kung-Fu people. You see the character writing can include writing passages from classic texts of ethics and morals of civility and properness. How to handle challenging situations. How to be a good person for yourself and for the society-at-large.

Besides learning ethics literally by wrote. I thin the technique s of the writing make for strong arms for press or brushing away. Strong fingers for Seize and Control or fingertip striking. You learn to read-increasing your vocabulary making you able to read any kung-fu manual for hurt or for healing and health.

You have examples of how to be tactful and can talk your way around trouble and perhaps occasionally Out-of Danger.

There are twenty-four to around twenty seven strokes (perhaps less that are the core strikes from which there are variations. But the strokes are techniques of deflection, blocking~ and striking.

When I was looking at Chinese calligraphy for finding the Kung-Fu in it for Ernie Moore Jr.'s Kung-Fu (attempt), Squirrel. I was looking not only at the result stroke as a swipe to deflect or strike but the way the stroke is made as part of the technique, so there's wavey slight side moves, perhaps a swirl and writing and thinking as I was writing/key-stroking this I realized there would perhaps be advance-retreat; forward-backward ; phoenix tortoise moves simulating greater pressure and lesser pressure.

That's what the part of the West that is this me thinks of Chinese Calligraphy.

No_Know

[jdhowland]

[QUOTE=brianlkennedy;1041557]Could you tell us more about some of the teachers there in south coastal China who are famous martial arts teachers and well known for their calligraphy? QUOTE]

Tibetan White Crane stylist Kwan Tak Hing, famous for portraying Wong Fei Hung in numerous films, was better known as an actor than a kung fu teacher but was said to be a master calligrapher whose writings fetched high prices.

Might be worth noting the obvious: many kung fu men of reknown were semi-literate, at best.

[No_Know]

"It might be worth noting" that calligrapy as Kung-Fu was not done by everyone nor as a standard. If you were a Kung-Fu person of reknown it was for your prowess and ethics yes, not your literacy. And their excellence in their style/System of Kung-Fu was not necessarilly literacybased-at least not by Chinese calligraphy.

No_Know

[GeneChing]

I love the big scale calligraphers. :cool:

Fred Attewill - 27th March, 2011
Ba Desheng fuses kung fu with calligraphy using massive brush (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/859236-artist-fuses-kung-fu-with-calligraphy-using-massive-brush)
Ba Desheng gives a whole new meaning to the term martial art, using kung fu moves to sketch out giant Chinese letters – known as calligraphy – in front of impressed onlookers.

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/03/27/article-1301256640308-0B5ACA4500000578-459135_636x413.jpg
Ba Desheng kung fu calligraphy Kung fu writing: Ba Desheng

The tools of the 60-year-old’s trade are a 2m-long brush that weighs 5kg (11lb) and a bucket of water.

His intricate creations last just a few minutes before the sunshine dries them up.

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/03/27/article-1301256545151-0B5ACA5D00000578-450720_466x310.jpg
kung fu calligraphy Ba's brush is two metres long and weighs five kilos

Ba fuses two revered pinnacles of Chinese culture while dressed in traditional red flowing robes.

He has now become famous with people travelling to the park in Kaifeng city in Henan province to see his creations.

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2011/03/27/article-1301256628373-0B5ACC3900000578-234589_466x319.jpg
kung fu calligraphy China People come from miles to see Ba's work, even though it dries up quickly in the sunshine

The relationship between calligraphy and martial arts runs deep in Chinese culture.

Martial arts masters are expected to harmonise their scholar and warrior sides and many practise calligraphy as a form of aesthetic training.

Kung fu – which can be translated as ‘achievement through great effort’ – is at least 1,700 years old and typically features sharp blows and kicks.

Calligraphy is even older and its fusion of poetry, literature and painting is regarded as the supreme expression of Chinese art.

[Violent Designs]

The way I have always explained it to Western people -

In my country, every word has a soul.

[CFT]

The way I have always explained it to Western people -

In my country, every word has a soul.Except for simplified characters. I can't say how much I detest them.

[CYMac]

http://makchingyuen.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/tin-yat-calligraphy-writting-to-painting-art/

someone have to do a scribbling to start.. and then I change the whole thing into a piece of art! haha! cool~

[Scott R. Brown]

Nice Work! :)


Please post a really good high quality picture of it so I can use it as a wallpaper!

[CYMac]

Nice Work! :)


Please post a really good high quality picture of it so I can use it as a wallpaper!

Haha~ Thanks! :)

You can just use the one ony my blog, it's about 1000 pixel x 675 I think.. you can use it for your wallpaper and it will still be nice~

http://makchingyuen.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/dsc_7282.jpg

[Scott R. Brown]

yeah, that is what I ended up doing. I like the way you integrated the tear into the picture. There are no accidents, it is as it is supposed to be!:)

[CYMac]

yeah, that is what I ended up doing. I like the way you integrated the tear into the picture. There are no accidents, it is as it is supposed to be!:)

Yep, Taoism theory put into calligraphy~ :)

If you can read my poem, it also have a hidden meaning as well. Anyway~ glad you enjoyed it~

[GeneChing]

A Shaolin Calligrapher!

The write stuff (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-01/31/content_14507897.htm)
Updated: 2012-01-31 08:00
By Mei Jia (China Daily)

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/attachement/jpg/site1/20120131/00221917e13e10917a4c21.jpg
Li Tusheng spent 10 years to finish a 10-volume book of Chinese classics in handwritten calligraphy. Photos by Mei Jia / China Daily

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/attachement/jpg/site1/20120131/00221917e13e10917a5f22.jpg
A scroll of Li Tusheng's Collection of Manuscripts of Asian Classics.

Li Tusheng is multitalented but his calligraphy works are particularly valued, and his latest 10-volume book was 10 years in the making. Mei Jia reports.

To those who know him, Li Tusheng is a miracle man. He was taught Shaolin kungfu by his father as a child, has defeated martial arts challengers from many nations and can predict the future or determine feng shui through understanding the Book of Changes, his fans say.

He is also a talented calligrapher who sold one work - with just three characters - for 267,000 yuan ($42,300) at an auction in Beijing in 2010.

Li says he wears a lot of hats.

"But I see myself principally as a lover of traditional Chinese culture," he says. "I want to be an inheritor of our culture, because it's where national pride comes from."

For Li, traditional culture is "the root of culture".

Born in 1953 in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, he is a self-funded researcher based in Beijing. In December, he published a 10-volume book of Chinese classics in handwritten calligraphy called Li Tusheng's Collection of Manuscripts of Asian Classics.

It has 360,000 characters and is 640 meters in length. The content includes Confucian works, the Four Books and the Five Classics, Buddhist sutras, and historical and literary masterpieces.

"When words are spoken, they leave no trace," Li says. "But when words are recorded by hand, they're passed on."

He started the project 10 years ago, when he was living in a Buddhist temple. There, he copied the Buddhist scriptures for two years, in the distinctive calligraphic style developed from the so-called "big-character posters" of the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

"Brush writing is like doing tai chi. The continuity of qi is important," Li says. "I was concentrating so much on writing that I forgot to eat or sleep and didn't know whether it was day or night."

Even so, errors were unavoidable, Li says, and he occasionally had to trash a script as long as 4 meters when a ringing phone disturbed him and caused him to make a mistake.

Zhao Changqing, of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, says: "In a computerized era, when people are losing the ability to write by hand, Li offers an example of respecting tradition with action."

Li Peiyu, with Beijing Daily, says the book is valuable because it provides an accessible approach to the Chinese classics, saving the trouble of checking in libraries to locate rare versions.

Li says he adopts different styles when he writes, according to the content and atmosphere of the manuscripts.

"When the content is sublime and serious, I use regular kai script, but when it is easy and unrestrained, I use the 'running', or xingshu script," he says.

Li says he turned down a 100 million yuan offer to buy all the manuscripts because he believes the work should not belong to a private collector but rather to the nation.

What really lends value to the volumes, as calligrapher Zhao points out, is that Li writes with a solid understanding of each character.

"I think knowing about the characters, their origins, their evolution through the various dynasties and their structures is fundamental to a calligrapher," he says.

Li has spent years researching more than 7,000 frequently used characters. His collected thoughts about these were published in his magnum opus in 2009, called Tusheng's Collection of Explanations of Chinese Characters, which was 8 million characters long.

He's often invited to give lectures abroad. He says that after a speech to some 400 people at Harvard University in 2003, he explained the Chinese character for country () as part of his answer to a students' question about whether China would be a "major threat".

"I told them the element, which partly means weapon (), is created within the bigger square frame () that stands for Chinese territory," he says, "So, that means Chinese people, typically, will guard their land but never launch an aggressive action outside their territory."

Li often takes notes, when he has time, about the misuse of words in the media, in the hope that language is used correctly. He also writes down his thoughts about the differences among Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, using simple phrases.

Li was in the army from 1973 to 1991, where he exercised his ability to memorize and perform mental arithmetic.

After that, he established a small company to support his research of Chinese characters.

"Though he's not an academic, he is unique in having absorbed so much knowledge," Li Peiyu says.

Li Tusheng also practices what he preaches. For instance, when it comes to filial respect, a traditional Chinese moral imperative, his is not limited to his 85-year-old mother but extends to other old people, too. Li is a frequent visitor to the senior citizens' house in his neighborhood. He tries to bring happiness to them by performing magic and providing gifts.

[David Jamieson]

I was taught a little bit of this and it's concepts in relation to martial arts by the same sifu who taught me a double broadsword vs spear set.

He was interesting. We later worked on a signboard together. that was fun and he was a very interesting dude with some good kung fu and great artistic skill. It was over the course of a summer back in the mid 90's.

Thanks for sparking the memory who ever necrothreaded this. :D (otherwise known as ~G )


p.s ever notice that ~G if turned upright with the tilde on top, would be Hui-ke posture?

[mawali]

I am from Fuzhou China. Chinese calligraphy is closely linked with kungfu, both of them are considered a high level of art form. To what extend is Chinese calligraphy embraced in the west?

It depends on the holistic frame of reference of the calligrapher and his social milieu keeping in mind that kungfu was a 'low art' street performing and bodyguarding.

One of my former taijiquan teachers knew at least 6 forms of calligraphy that many could not even understand (NB_I think the number is right??).
When I was stationed in Okinawa, there was a tradition of calligraphy that I used to do around 20 years ago but it has fallen by the wayside! By itself, Chinese calligraphy is challenging itself without the 'kungfu' influence! Kungfu as in the art (wushu today) as opposed to its essence as 'excellence in a given task or endeavour"!

[TenTigers]

Most contemporary Americans don't really care about calligraphy. They only learn Kung Fu for it's fighting principles, its external values. The physical aspect of Martial Arts is only a part of the whole equation.

It is refreshing to know that value is still placed on such things. Gives me hope for the future of martial arts.

Not looking at the writing, or the words, but the way you feel the individual strokes. Being firm at first, how much pressure is placed at the beginning of the stroke, to drawing the stroke, allowing the energy to lighten, making the line thinner, then thicker, the grace of the line, the end of the stroke, etc. These are all dealing with "extending your energy and intent into the brush and through the line." Not really mumbo-jumbo, but ways of describing qualities of energy, and sensitivity-body control. This transfers to your bridge as well as your strikes.
I cannot do calligraphy, but my Chinese student does. She "gets it."
I studied Sumi-e with Yukio Tashiro in the 80's, and he explained it the same way.
He was also a Master of the sword, as well as the brush.

[David Jamieson]

I can say with utmost confidence that calligraphy, painting and dance are directly related to one's skill with a sword.

seriously. :)

[Drake]

You'll never win a UFC match doing calligraphy. And winning in the UFC is the only valid measure of a martial artist.

[GeneChing]

Yes, there's an embedded vag vid, if you follow the link.


Women painting calligraphy with their vaginas too 'vulgar' for government group, artist expelled (http://shanghaiist.com/2016/06/14/vagina_calligraphy_artist_expelled.php)

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/vagina_calligraphy2.jpg

The China Artists Association (CAA), which was founded in 1949 and includes many prominent artists, has expelled one of its members for his vaginal calligraphy.
Sun Ping is a 63-year-old artist and graduate of the prestigious Guangdong Academy of Fine Arts. He first joined the CAA way back in December of 1985 and has often been known to push the boundaries of membership.
Like every messy breakup, this one began online. The CAA issued an announcement on WeChat criticizing Sun for "sexualizing calligraphy." They claimed that Sun's style was not only "vulgar" and "degrading to traditional calligraphy and civilization," but also has negatively impacted the pristine reputation of the CAA. The committee decided to expel Sun based on the provisions of item VIII of Article IX in the Member Code, which states: "purposeful violation of the code or cause of adverse social impact could result in loss of membership".
From the beginning of his career, Sun has interwoven a sexual theme into his art. When he was in the army, one of his first works, "Wet Dreams," consisted of sperm-stained bedsheets expressing the "frustration of spirit," Global Times reports.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/vagina_calligraphy.jpg

Sun first started vaginal calligraphy in 2006 in his installation "Bu Zhi Dao" (I Don't Know). It depicted a half-naked woman holding a calligraphy brush between her vagina and writing on large pieces of paper laid on the ground.
His motivation was to question societal norms.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/vagina_calligraphy4.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/vagina_calligraphy5.jpg

"Our culture impregnated us with sexual taboos. If art is revered why can't sex be revered as well? People who look at Bu Zhi Dao with a perspective that is merely sexual, will immediately criticize and thus miss its deeper meaning and message," Sun explains.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/vagina_calligraphy7.jpg

"This may seem unfair, ugly and vulgar on the outside because we're clouded by principles and conventions. But it also bears elegance, beauty and inner value. It is also art."

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/vagina_calligraphy8.jpg

In a telephone interview with Sixth Tone, Sun urges viewers of his work to question their definition of vulgarity. "A vagina is too often considered vulgar, but it is where we all come from," he said.
Sun responded to the repeal of his membership with ease and laughter. He joined the CAA early on in his career to have more opportunities, but he was never ideologically aligned with them. When he heard that he had been expelled, he found it funny to be "reminded of the slightest connection between them," Sixth Tone reports.

http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/vagina_calligraphy3.jpg
http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_shanghaiist/vagina_calligraphy9.jpg

Most netizens support the CAA's decision to revoke Sun's membership and say they are shocked by his art:
"I just want to know why you can't write with your hand," wrote @鸡米宝.
"[His membership] is finally cancelled. Sun Ping is such an old man already, just continue following tradition. Why do you have to invent 'sexual calligraphy.' This is too vulgar," wrote @July-Chen7.
If you don't think it's too vulgar, watch the video below:
Vagina font (http://www.iqiyi.com/w_19rsre2b85.html?src=65302_shrplyr)

By Sarah Lin
[Images via Ace / Global Times]
Contact the author of this article or email tips@shanghaiist.com with further questions, comments or tips.
By Shanghaiist in News on Jun 14, 2016 8:45 PM

This concludes today's newsfeed posts.

<drops mic & leaves>

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsZVODLE3Cc

THREADS
Shaolin Special 2019 (SPRING) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71165-Shaolin-Special-2019-(SPRING)) on Shaolin sub-forum.
Shaolin Special 2019 (SPRING) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71164-Shaolin-Special-2019-(SPRING)) on Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine & KungFuMagazine.com sub-forum
Calligraphy (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?8611-Calligraphy)
Chinese Calligraphy as a meditation/qigong (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?11236-Chinese-Calligraphy-as-a-meditation-qigong)

[GeneChing]

...or not. :o


‘This Is an Insult to Our Ancestors’: Chinese Social Media Erupts Over the Loan of a Prized Calligraphic Work to Japan (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/chinese-social-media-erupts-loan-japan-1440889)
Taiwan's National Palace Museum loaned Japan the work, complicating the issue further.
Sarah Cascone, January 16, 2019

https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2019/01/img5_large-1024x351.jpg
Yan Zhenqing, Requiem to My Nephew. Photo courtesy of Taiwan's National Palace Museum.

When the Tokyo National Museum in Japan organized an exhibition dedicated to master Chinese calligrapher Yan Zhenqing (709–785), it didn’t anticipate how fresh the wounds of the second Sino-Japanese War, starting in the late 1930s, when Japan occupied significant Chinese territory, still are to some Chinese people.

There is widespread outrage on Weibo, the popular Chinese social media network, over the loan of one of Yan’s most significant works, Requiem to My Nephew, from Taiwan’s National Palace Museum to the Japanese exhibition “Unrivalled Calligraphy: Yan Zhengqing and His Legacy,” reports the BBC.

“This is humiliating. This piece represents the heart and soul of China… and they are sending it to Japan. This is an insult to our ancestors,” wrote one Weibo user, according to the BBC. “Has Taiwan forgotten what Japan did to us? Do they know what the Nanjing massacre is?” asked another user, referencing the 1937 tragedy in which China claims Japan killed upwards of 300,000 people.

Yan’s work, a draft for a now-lost final version, is considered especially prized because it features additional markings by the artist. Yan created the mournful piece in 759 when he learned his beloved nephew had died. The Tokyo National Museum singles out Requiem as one of the artist’s masterpieces in the exhibition description, noting that he “succeeded in establishing his own style of calligraphy, which would have tremendous influence for ages to come.” It also proudly proclaims that the work is “on exhibit for the first time in Japan!”

Until now, Requiem has not left Taiwan since 1997, when it traveled to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

The issue is further complicated by Taiwan’s contested status within the Republic of China. During the Chinese civil war in the 1940s, the Nationalist government fled to the island of Taiwan, setting up a government in exile—and bringing some of the nation’s most prized possessions, including Requiem, with them. Despite calls for reunification, Taiwan remains self-governing today.

As of press time, neither the Tokyo nor Taiwan museums responded to requests for comment.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X1h68C0eoA

This is so wrong that I have to share it here. :o