This year’s Chinese calligraphy class is a diverse one, with twenty-nine students whose abilities range from fluent-Chinese-speakers to complete novices. Despite the multiplicity of backgrounds, students were able to find common ground as they hand-wrote cards for loved ones.
Students chose one or two words that held special meaning to themselves or their loved ones to write on the front of a card. With the help of Zhou Laoshi, students had the opportunity to test the waters beyond the fundamentals of Chinese calligraphy and attempt to imitate their favorite writing styles. On the back of the cards, students wrote an explanation of the etymology and meaning of the character.
The recipients of the cards ranged from parents to best friends—from grandparents whose only language is Mandarin to siblings who have never read a word of Chinese. Although the exact meaning of the character on the cards meant something different to all the recipients, the emotional significance of a hand-written card was the same for everyone. You can read about individual students’ character choices and see their cards here.
