A site visit to the apprenticeship, May 2013

 

"The brush dances and the ink sings." Qianshen Bai

Qianshen Bai discovered the ancient arts of calligraphy and seal carving as a young boy through the tutelage of an elderly gentleman scholar in the Chinese countryside. Since coming to the United States in 1996, he has passed on his knowledge through his position as an associate professor of Asian and Chinese Arts History at Boston UniversityAlthough there are still quite a few people who practice calligraphy for leisure, Bai points out that very few take the time to study, in depth, the history and various aspects of the art of writing calligraphy.

Since 1999, Mei Hung has been the Executive Director of the Chinese Culture Connection (CCC), a non-profit organization in Malden committed to promoting appreciation and understanding of Chinese art and culture through workshops and classes. During her apprenticeship with Bai, Mei Hung worked on the subtleties of writing balanced and artistic calligraphy and how to appreciate a piece of good work with a critical eye. Bai introduced her to writing couplets, horizontal banners, and, in a smaller font, on fan shaped calligraphy. She also learned how to complete a composition with date and signature, and the proper way to apply the seal. Perhaps most importantly, Mei mastered a method of how to learn calligraphy by herself in the future. "This apprenticeship enhanced my knowledge of the art and improved my writing skills, but most importantly, it made me feel humble. It is truly an art that requires a life-long practice."