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Chinese calligraphy and type design
Katherine Huang’s video explores how Chinese fonts are created, and contemplates parallels between principles of Chinese calligraphy and type design. https://languages.mit.edu/chinese-calligraphy-video/
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The Power of the Brush
“Today we will be learning how to write heng (horizontal line) and shu (vertical line) today,” said Zhou Laoshi, the IAP Chinese Calligraphy teacher. “By the end of the class, you should be able to write 二 (two), 工 (labor), and 王 (king). ” I couldn’t wait any longer. My hands simply wanted to pick…
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Lobby 10 was filled with the joyous atmosphere of Chinese New Year
On January 27, MIT Lobby 10 was filled with the joyous atmosphere of Chinese New Year as 42 students from Global Language’s Chinese calligraphy class showcased their skills in the traditional art of writing spring festival couplets and the character “福” (good fortune).
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Guest Speaker Ms. Li Ren from Brockton High School
During this year’s Chinese Calligraphy course, we brought in a guest speaker to increase our students’ exposure to different experiences and perspectives in learning and writing calligraphy. Teacher Ren Li visited on January 17th from Brockton High School where she teaches Chinese, and she graciously shared her own story about learning calligraphy. She was especially…
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21G.111 is featured on the MIT news page!
Kang Zhou on the lessons of Chinese calligraphy Kang Zhou is a lecturer in Chinese in MIT Global Languages. His class, 21G.111 (Chinese Calligraphy), teaches the fundamentals of one of the best-known traditional arts during the Institute’s Independent Activities Period in January. Students taking this class may be learning Chinese as a second language but…
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Class Trip to MFA
On Friday, January 24th, students went to the MFA to see the “Weng Family Collection of Chinese Painting: Family and Friends” exhibition. Assignment: Take a picture of a piece of calligraphy, write about why you chose it, and then attempt to write one or two characters in the same way.
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Diverse Experiences in Chinese Calligraphy
Chinese Calligraphy entered its second successful year with a class nearly double the size of its inaugural cohort. The class, which teaches the technical basics of Chinese calligraphy as well as its history and cultural significance, was developed last year by Kang Zhou, a lecturer in Chinese, out of his personal interest and connection to…
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Thank you to Zhou Laoshi!
Students wrote two scrolls for Zhou Laoshi as a thank-you for a well-taught class. The first scroll says, “三人行必有我师焉”, meaning “If three walk together, one must be my teacher.” The second says, “一位好老师胜过万卷书”, meaning “A good teacher is better than a million books.” Students signed the two scrolls at the bottom.
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Spring festival couplets
On Friday of week 3, students wrote chūnlián, or Chinese spring festival couplets, on traditional red paper. The couplets are typically displayed as a pair on either side of a doorway as a New Year’s decoration. Jared’s dorm room door Emily’s dorm room door Travis’s dorm room door
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Li Laoshi Visits from Princeton
Yike Li, a Chinese Language Lecturer from Princeton University, visited the class on Thursday to give a guest lecture. He taught the class the history and evolution of Chinese characters, and shared his personal experience with Chinese calligraphy. His favorite calligrapher is Yan Zhenqing (颜真卿). He also led students through a hands-on demonstration of writing…
