Don't Brush Off Writing

THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (MOE) of China ISSUED a document last week requiring primary schools to have a calligraphy class once a week for students from third grade to sixth grade and calligraphy-related courses must be arranged for high school students. The MOE stipulation is definitely more than necessary as an increasing number of Chinese students are losing the ability to write Chinese characters with a brush and even a pen in the proper manner.

Nowadays, with most students using computers to do their studies, very few students and parents pay enough attention to the writing of Chinese characters. Even as far as homework that is to be hand written is concerned, more and more students tend to scribble it as quickly as possible since they usually have more homework than they can finish in their spare time. It is right for students to have at least some years of training in calligraphy, which is an important part of traditional Chinese culture. But, students in both primary and secondary schools have too much schoolwork to spare enough time to practice calligraphy, to say nothing of learning to appreciate it as a work of art.

Writing Chinese characters with a brush has been an important part of life for people of letters for thousands of years. In addition, such writing can be appreciated for the beauty of the strokes and forms and in the hands of a master it is elevated to an art form.

Good brush calligraphy requires a peaceful mind and a calm temperament. So practicing calligraphy would actually be a way for students to get a respite from the pressures of their academic studies. But even if some students or their parents realize how valuable calligraphy can be for the cultivation of personality, they will not want to lag behind other students who concentrate on examination subjects. So the calligraphy class risks being sidelined as something of little or no importance by schools and teachers, who place examination scores before anything else.

In such circumstances, whether calligraphy, as a compulsory course, can be beneficial for students will depend on the MOE’s efforts to reduce the total workload of students.

Example of modern Chinese student’s writing – far from calligraphy

Source: China Daily